Tens of millions of people fly into Houston through George Bush Intercontinental Airport every year, and a substantial portion of those millions rent a vehicle to use during their stay here in Space City. That means that at any given time, there are tens or even hundreds of thousands of people driving around the Houston area in cars they are unfamiliar with and on roads they have never seen before.
That combination can sometimes lead to preventable and life-altering traffic collisions. If you were recently hurt in a rental car accident in Houston, our auto accident lawyers here at Mostyn Law can help you effectively pursue compensation without getting sidetracked by legal roadblocks along the way.
The best course of action for seeking financial restitution in the wake of a Houston rental car crash may change a lot depending on two things: who is legally at fault for the wreck, and what insurance coverage the at-fault party has. Since Texas employs a “fault” approach to auto accident litigation, drivers here are not required to purchase auto insurance coverage that pays out on a no-fault basis. Instead, the process of financial recovery typically requires making a claim against someone else’s liability insurance policy, and then potentially suing them directly if their insurance does not cover all your losses.
On that note, rental car companies typically offer insurance packages to renters for extra fees, which, if an individual renter opted to buy them, may provide additional compensation to you as someone injured by a renter’s negligent driving. Outside of that scenario, rental car drivers must also maintain their own auto insurance under most circumstances. At worst, rental car companies typically maintain basic liability insurance policies in the event a renter is uninsured or underinsured.
Whether you seek restitution primarily through insurance claims or need to file a civil suit directly against the rental car driver at fault for your Houston traffic accident, there will be strict deadlines for when you must formally begin the recovery process. These deadlines will vary somewhat depending on the terms of particular insurance policies but will generally fall just a few weeks after your actual accident, and the hard deadline prescribed by state law for auto accident lawsuits is two years after the date of your injury in virtually all scenarios.
It is worth mentioning that a person who holds a majority of the fault for a car crash can still reduce their own financial liability for the incident by demonstrating that the injured person suing them shares some liability for causing their own injuries through their own misconduct. Our team can help you not only build a comprehensive claim within applicable time limits, but also proactively fight against any allegations of “comparative fault” made against you.
Rental car drivers are not always negligent behind the wheel, but enough of them are to make rental car accidents in Houston a relatively common cause of action for civil litigation. Unfortunately, the fact that these kinds of wrecks happen on a fairly regular basis does not make them any easier to build successful civil claims around, especially if you try to do so alone.
Our auto accident lawyers can provide the custom-tailored help you need to recover fairly for your losses, and we will fight tirelessly for your best interests from beginning to end of the legal process. Call Mostyn Law today to learn more.
(832) 844-5116 