So basically I was being super careless today. I had noise-canceling headphones on + music blasting in my car.
Long story short, I backed into a rental car that was trying to park. Apparently they were honking but I couldn’t hear, and there were a lot of witnesses.
The damage didn’t look crazy, but there’s a noticeable dent/bend on one side of the trunk/boot area. My car is basically fine.
I’m pretty stressed because I’ve never been in an accident before, and now it involves a rental company. I haven’t told my parents yet either.
A few things I’m trying to figure out:
Do I have to file an insurance claim right away, or can I wait and see if they even pursue anything?
If I don’t file, can the rental company still come after me later?
I think I only have liability (one-way) insurance, how exactly does that work in this situation?
If I do file, what would insurance actually cover vs what I’d have to pay?
I’ve heard rental companies can charge for “loss of use” while the car is being repaired is that real and does insurance usually cover it?
Just trying to understand what I’m walking into here. I’m honestly kinda freaking out so any insight helps.
in california btw
i hit a hertz-uber rental, r they gonna sue me to the ground?
byu/colludy inInsurance
Posted by colludy
5 Comments
The rental company can and will come after you as long as you provided your information to the other driver. Yes notify your insurance company and they will handle under your liability coverage. The rental company will likely charge for both repairs & loss of use but both will be handled by your insurer. No you won’t get sued into the ground.
Take a deep breath, this is a very routine occurrence and nothing to panic over, but hopefully a lesson was learned about distracted driving.
ETA: You would not have any out of pocket expenses like a deductible since it is liability coverage, unless the damages were extensive enough to exceed your liability property damage limit (which is $15k minimum in CA so would have to have really banged the car up).
Liability coverage will cover repairs to the other vehicle up to your policy limit. If liability only there would be no coverage for your vehicle.
https://preview.redd.it/l2dld687exwg1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c3ca892a2f892bbc8c4151c410c3d0e06b5fedc
this is the damage for reference
In this case, you should file a claim right away to give your side of the story.
As far as your car, any repairs are not covered by your policy.
Rental car companies can charge for loss of use. Every day their car is in the shop for repairs is a day they can’t rent it out, so they’re losing money.
Youre prob at fault but not ruined. liability should cover their damage. don’t wait, file and let insurance handle it