The Legal Aspects of Car Accidents Involving Rental Vehicles

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In case renting a vehicle wasn’t stressful enough, you also have to worry about what happens if you’re involved in an accident. Car accidents are always a possibility, but they are definitely more likely when you are driving a car that you’re unfamiliar with—like, for example, a rental vehicle.

If you’re involved in a rental car accident, either as the driver of the rental car or as an occupant of the other vehicle, it’s important to know your rights and next steps. Call Reeves & Mestayer at 855-558-2977 to set up a time to talk.

Liability in Rental Vehicle Accidents

The concept of liability works essentially the same in rental vehicle accidents as it does in other types of car crashes. In most cases, one of the two drivers is to blame for the accident, and their insurance company takes responsibility for compensating the victims of the crash. However, there is one factor in rental vehicle collisions that isn’t present in other types of crashes: the rental company.

When companies rent out a car to a driver, they have a legal obligation to ensure that they are renting only to qualified drivers. If the rental company fails to do its due diligence, it could be liable for subsequent crashes. Consider, for example, a rental company that doesn’t check a driver’s identification before giving them a car. As a result, they don’t realize that the person renting the vehicle does not have a valid license. When that driver goes on to cause a crash, the company could be sued for their negligence.

Insurance Requirements and Limitations

Insurance is a key factor in car accident claims, and it’s fairly complicated in rental vehicle collisions. This is due to the wide range of insurance options available and the fact that many people have access to insurance through third parties. For example, you may get free rental vehicle insurance through your credit card company, insurance provider, or other service providers.

When you rent a vehicle, you are generally given the choice to purchase insurance from the rental company. Much like purchasing regular insurance, this involves comparing the cost of insurance and the amount of coverage it provides.

Unfortunately, choosing to buy less insurance for a rental can come back to haunt you if you are involved in an accident with damages exceeding your coverage limits. There are several types of insurance available through rental companies, and it’s important to look at exactly what each type of policy covers and does not cover.

Don’t forget to look into the other resources mentioned earlier. If you use rental vehicles often, it may make sense to add rental vehicle coverage to your regular car insurance policy. If you use a credit card to rent a vehicle, find out if it offers coverage at a rate better than what the rental company provides.

If a driver does not have the appropriate insurance and gets involved in a collision, it can get expensive very quickly. Not only may they be personally liable for any of the damage they cause to the other driver and their vehicle, but they may also be on the hook for damage caused to the rental vehicle. Additionally, they may be cited if their coverage does not meet the minimum requirements for their location.

Seeking Compensation

With so many factors involved, crashes with rental vehicles get complicated very quickly. That’s why it’s crucial to talk to a car accident lawyer in Biloxi as soon as possible after a crash. Your attorney can figure out the cause of the crash, who is liable for it, and what types of damages you may be entitled to. They can also figure out how much coverage was available if it’s accessible to you, and what your other options may be if the driver did not have adequate insurance.

Explore Your Legal Options with Reeves & Mestayer

The sooner you begin pursuing your car accident claim after a rental vehicle crash, the sooner your lawyer can start building your case. It all starts with a free consultation at Reeves & Mestayer. Call us at 855-558-2977 or send us a message online to set up a meeting now.

The Impact of Speeding on Motorcycle Crashes and Fatalities

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Across the board, motorcycle crashes are more severe than other types of vehicle collisions. This is due in large part to the limited amount of protection offered by motorcycles. Speeding is an incredibly common factor in motorcycle accidents, causing a significant number of collisions and making many collisions more severe.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a motorcycle collision, it’s time to find out if you’re entitled to compensation for your losses. The team at Reeves & Mestayer can help you figure out your next steps. Call us at 855-558-2977.

The Alarming Statistics

The statistics for motorcycle collisions show just how dangerous this mode of transportation is. There were 5,579 motorcyclist fatalities in 2020, per the NHTSA. Although motorcyclists make up a small number of total drivers, they make up a substantial portion of total traffic fatalities.

Research from the Institute for Road Safety Research indicates that speed is a big factor in crash severity. When drivers move at faster speeds, the collision speed is consequently higher. This is more force the vehicle or body must absorb, which leads to more serious injuries.

While this is bad news for anyone involved in a crash, it’s especially tragic for motorcyclists. Even when they are wearing a helmet and using other safety gear, they still face much higher severe and fatal injury rates than other drivers.

The NHTSA indicates that speed is a factor in a substantial amount of motorcycle accidents. Speed was more likely to be a factor in fatal motorcycle accidents involving riders aged 20 to 39 compared to other age groups.

How Speeding Increases Crash Rates

There are several reasons that speeding ramps up crash rates:

  • Harder to see obstacles: When you are traveling at higher speeds, it’s harder to see the road around you clearly. This is particularly dangerous for motorcyclists. A shocking number of drivers are already unable to see motorcyclists when driving, so if you’re speeding, that risk is even greater.
  • Less time to react: Traveling at higher speeds means you have less time to react to unexpected obstacles. Even if your decision-making skills and ability to make a snap judgment are perfect, you’re more likely to hit an obstacle when speeding.
  • Longer stopping time: The faster a vehicle is moving, the longer it takes to stop. This could mean the difference between narrowly avoiding a collision and actually experiencing a collision at full force.

Keeping Motorcyclists Safe

Since speeding is such a common factor in motorcycle collisions, there are numerous efforts underway to keep riders safe. There’s no one cause of speeding, so this problem requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the multiple causes of speeding.

Education is a key component of any effort to make the roads safer for riders. Some programs focus on helping riders understand the risks they accept when they speed. Others turn to drivers and help them drive more safely around motorcyclists.

Other programs strive to improve road infrastructure in a way that limits speeding and keep riders safer. Speed bumps and lower speed limits are just two examples of ways the authorities are attempting to improve road safety.

Stronger penalties for speeding are a common tactic used in municipalities across the United States, as is enhanced enforcement of speeding penalties.

Fighting for Compensation After a Collision

Getting fair compensation after a motorcycle accident can be a real challenge, thanks to societal bias against motorcyclists. Even if a collision is clearly due to another driver’s mistake, insurance companies may try to pin the accident on the motorcyclist.

You may need to work closely with a motorcycle accident attorney in Biloxi to hold the negligent party accountable. Working with an attorney with extensive experience in motorcycle accidents is your best option, as they will understand the different challenges facing you and know how best to overcome them.

Reach Out to Reeves & Mestayer to Discuss Your Motorcycle Accident Claim Don’t wait too long to start your motorcycle accident claim in Biloxi. The team at Reeves & Mestayer is ready to investigate your accident and advocate for you with the other party’s insurance company. To set up a consultation, just contact us online or call us at 855-5

Navigating Injury Claims in Multi-Vehicle Accidents

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While every car accident is traumatizing to some degree, multi-vehicle pileups are a completely different experience. You think the crash is over after the first impact—but then there’s another, and another until it’s finally over. This puts a ton of stress on your body and puts you at risk of severe or even fatal injuries.

As you may imagine, the costs associated with a pileup crash can be extraordinarily high. That’s why it’s important to talk to a car accident lawyer in Biloxi as soon as possible. Set up your free consultation with Reeves & Mestayer now by calling 855-558-2977.

Who’s At Fault?

Perhaps the most challenging part of a multi-vehicle accident is figuring out who is to blame. In two-car crashes, it’s often pretty straightforward. Someone runs a red light and T-bones a vehicle that has the right of way, and the person who runs the red light gets a ticket. But multi-car pileups are much more complicated. Everyone may have a different story about the first point of impact and what went wrong to cause the first crash.

On top of that, there may be more than one liable person. Consider the example above. Obviously, the red light runner is liable to some degree. Now, imagine that this turns into a multi-vehicle crash when another vehicle runs into the pre-existing crash. They were texting and driving, so they didn’t see the collision until it was too late. They’re not liable for all of the damage caused, but they are definitely partially liable.

Who pays the initial victim, and how much do they pay? What about the person who ran the red light—are they entitled to compensation from the third car that struck the crash scene?

With all of these factors in play, it’s easy for insurance companies to do what they do best—deny liability. If there’s someone else who might have more liability than them, they’ll just push you off to the next guy, who pushes you back to the first insurance company, and so on.

Pursuing Compensation

If you’ve been injured in a pileup, don’t lose hope. Just because it’s hard to determine liability and fight for compensation does not mean it’s impossible. You’ll want to work with a personal injury attorney with experience in multi-car collisions.

An attorney will be able to figure out the facts of the case by looking at the available evidence. From there, they will build a claim that names the liable parties and outlines exactly what they are liable for. This lays the groundwork for aggressive negotiations with the liable parties.

In most cases, these claims are settled out of court. No one wants the added expense and time associated with court. However, if your case does go to court, it’s important that you know that you’ve chosen an attorney who excels in a trial setting.

Should your case result in a successful settlement or jury award, you may receive compensation for:

  • Medical expenses, which are often very high in multi-car collision cases
  • Lost income
  • Pain and suffering
  • Property damage

Useful Resources

Your attorney can also help you explore other useful resources for your pileup claim. Accident reconstruction specialists are often very helpful in this type of claim. As noted earlier, figuring out the actual sequence of events in a multi-car crash can be nearly impossible for laypeople.

An accident reconstruction specialist has experience in the physics of car crashes, analysis of injuries, analysis of physical evidence, and the trajectory of vehicles and debris after a collision. With the wide range of evidence available at a multi-car collision scene, an accident reconstruction specialist has plenty to work with. Your attorney may bring in a trusted reconstruction specialist to prove liability in your claim.

Explore Your Options Now—Call Reeves & Mestayer

If you were hurt in a crash caused by another person’s negligence, don’t just let the costs all fall on you. Hire the team at Reeves & Mestayer to hold the negligent party accountable. To set up your free consultation right now, call us at 855-558-2977 or fill out our online form for a quick response.