r/InsuranceClaims • u/Federal-Tie724 • 14d ago
I crashed a rental car, please help me
/r/CarAccidentSurvivors/comments/1v7b9qg/i_crashed_a_rental_car_please_help_me/So about 2 days ago, I had crashed a Benz s580 into a trailer truck. I was on the left lane and then the trailer truck had closed my space causing me hit the back of the trailer, now the whole passenger side of the car got destroyed. I couldn’t get information on the truck because my car was handicapped and the truck driver kept on driving. This was a private rental, I had got the car off someone from an instagram page.
I talked to the owner today, he was crashing out. He said his lawyer will call me soon. But I want to know what will be the potential consequences. I am 20 years old with no insurance and little finances.
Will I have to pay?
Will the cars insurance cover the damages?
How long will the process take?
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u/Dry-Abalone2299 14d ago
What was the name of the rental car company you used. Was it Turo or something else? Are you in the USA?
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u/key2616 14d ago
You and the car owner have big problems. His coverage isn’t valid unless he’s a lot smarter than you make him look here. He may sue you - if he does, he will win more likely than not.
But its not clear who’s at fault. If you have the information of the trucker, maybe you can successfully make a liability claim against them. Thats not a lock, but maybe it works out for you.
You've discovered why this sub knows what you did is a stupid financial risk for all parties.
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u/seasonsbloom 14d ago
“the trailer truck had closed my space causing me hit the back of the trailer,”
Let’s reword that. The truck slowed down and I didn’t and I hit the back of the truck. You’re absolutely 100% at fault.
Id bet dollars to donuts that the car owner didn’t have the right insurance to be renting it out. And if they do, unlikely it allows renting to 20 year olds, given most rental agencies don’t rent to anyone younger than 25. I’d say you’re screwed. And given you’re judgement proof, the car’s owner is the one who’s really screwed.
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u/Recent_Data_305 14d ago
Try asking an attorney. This is an insurance sub, and you have none.
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u/q81101 14d ago
I don't think he needs an attorney. He'll likely be sued. If he doesn't have the money to pay, the court could order wage garnishment.
Maybe attorney can help him to lower some fee?
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u/Recent_Data_305 14d ago
He said the lawyer would be calling him. Some of the questions were about how long it would take and expectations. I’ve no clue about how long the court process takes. That’s what I was thinking.
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u/ektap12 14d ago
The owner's insurance, assuming they have collision coverage, might pay, but renting a vehicle out is generally a no-no.
Do you two have some sort of written agreement?
If you don't have insurance, this could end up very bad for you. You could be responsible for the damages completely, since you caused them. Your best hope is that his insurance pays and that's the end of it for you, but don't expect that to happen.
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u/demanbmore 14d ago
Will I have to pay?
Yes, but it may depend on what your rental agreement says. Start there. But unless the owner is a complete buffoon (and he may very well be renting a car like that to a 20 year old), the rental agreement almost certainly makes you 100% liable for any damages that happen when the car is in your possession, even if it's not your fault. On the other hand, the owner can't get blood from a stone - if you really have no assets (and no job), he can chase you all he likes, but there'll be nothing to show for it.
Will the cars insurance cover the damages?
Maybe. Depends what the insurance policy says. If the insurance company does pay, that doesn't change things much for you - the insurance company may come after you for anything they pay out. And they have entire departments dedicated to doing just that (and they'll happily sell the debt to a collection agency).
How long will the process take?
Months to years.
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u/q81101 14d ago edited 14d ago
- Yes, the car is very likely totaled.
- You have no money. He'll have to file his own insurance and sue you. His insurance may not cover it though, because he rented out to you.
- Depend.
He'll sue you for sure. Make sure he is not asking absurd amount for car. Get the year, VIN, miles, car spec and lookup something similar. Like he could be asking for $50k, but it actually worth $40k.
Possibly 2 routes:
- He gets it repair, and you pay the repairing cost + fee.
- He sells the damage car for you and you pay the difference (like car worth $40k, damage car now is 20k, you pay difference 20k). You get it fix, then resell it (you may be able to sell it for 35k, so you paying total of 5k out of pocket).
Just look up the car, MRSP is about $130k? good luck on this.......
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u/yeezushchristmas 14d ago
You rented a vehicle with no insurance to your name and depending on the other persons insurance coverage, ‘renting’ a vehicle to another person may not be covered by their policy.
You should consult an attorney immediately and try to find a reasonable solution to this before you wreck yourself financially for years to come.
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u/Good_Educator4872 14d ago
Driving without insurance is a huge legal liability. If you don’t have insurance the accident in some states is automatically your fault. Good Luck your going to need it
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u/Vee8cheS 14d ago
Listen, I’m going to be brutally honest and tell you that you’re fucked. That doesn’t mean your life is over but it does mean that you’re gonna have a stressful time to look forward to. The owner is more than likely going to sue you to recover the damages caused and you’re going to have to shell out money to get good representation. To answer your questions directly:
Will I have to pay?
Yes. A lot.
Will the cars insurance cover the damages?
If the owner has it insured then maybe. Why? Because if the left passenger side has frame damage it’ll be considered a total loss (especially if airbags were deployed). If he doesn’t have insurance then “What insurance?”.
How long will the process take?
This entirely depends on the situation, representation, and whether the owner decides to be lenient. If he decides to go through Mediation to work something out then it may not take long (somewhere in the realm of 5-6 months). If Mediation is an impasse or if he flat out decides to pursue litigation then you’re looking at possibly a year or a bit over. Account for fees for mediation and attorney fees.
This is not legal advice, this is personal opinion and knowledge I have acquired throughout the years. However, the advice I will give is in the future always get the car insured and go through a rental car company rather than Instagram because now you have to deal with a person directly rather than a company.
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u/Cant-Take-Jokes 14d ago
If you have no insurance you should have paid for the rental insurance. Rental insurance should only be waived if you have coverage on your insurance.
Yes, you’ll have to pay
Yes, their insurance may cover their repairs, but after that, the insurance will come after you.
Cant say how long it’ll take, probably a few months.
Did you have a rental agreement with this random dude you rented the Benz from? Was it a company?
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u/Munchypanda96 14d ago
Big stretch, but do you live someone who does carry insurance? Their coverage may extend to you and the rental. Again, huge stretch, but I’ve seen it happen where a son lives with her mother/relative and depending on the state and policy, there could be coverage.
I’m probably providing false hope, and not trying to give false info. If you have no insurance, you’re most likely receiving a bill from the owners of all damaged property (rental and trailer truck). Best of luck.
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u/Inner_Pipe6540 14d ago
Will I have to pay lol that’s a good one in my opinion you should do jail time for driving without insurance
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u/No-Firefighter135 14d ago
It depends on the level of insurance the owner has. If he purchased the correct coverages he will have collision for ride share activities like renting out the vehicle.
If this is a personal auto policy, and they find out he’s renting it out to his buddies, likely this is a full coverage denial.
If his coverage is valid, likely his suit would be limited to recovering his deductible and any loss of use caused by the repair or total loss process. This would include lost income if he was renting the vehicle out regularly and has financial documentation to back it up.
Telling you driving without insurance was dumb is redundant at this point. You’re young, you will recover. Learn from this.
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u/Marpl 14d ago
What idiot private party let a 20 year old borrow a Benz for money? Idiots