Where Can I Find the Best Rental Car Accident Lawyers in Pennsylvania?

One of the reasons you need a rental car accident attorney in PA is because of the complex car insurance laws of the state. A car accident lawyer can help break down these laws and pursue the other party for compensation after the accident.

When you rent a car in this state, you'll have several insurance coverage options to choose from. You can either purchase insurance coverage from the rental car company. This is usually unnecessary, especially if you have a personal auto insurance policy. 

However, you should expect the rental car company to try and convince you to purchase their insurance. This is because they usually earn a commission for selling insurance to their clients. 

Besides car rental insurance and your auto insurance policy, you might also be entitled to car insurance coverage from your credit card company. For example, this happens if you use a credit card to rent a car. 

However, the auto insurance from your credit card company comes into play if you've exhausted other insurance policies (the rental car insurance and your personal auto insurance). 

Car rental companies in PA provide the following coverage:

Liability Insurance

This policy covers you as the driver or any other eligible person if you cause injury or property damage while driving the rental car. But you also need to bear in mind that you may not need this policy if your personal auto insurance policy provides coverage for such accidents. 

Loss Damage Waiver

This policy provides coverage if the car rental is stolen or damaged. The coverage can also include:

• repair costs;
• cash value of the car if the car is lost;
• loss sustained by the car rental company since the car is no longer in use (also known as 'loss of use').

Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection provides compensation for medical bills and lost wages due to the car accident. If you live in Pennsylvania and have auto insurance, you probably have personal injury protection. 

Collision or Comprehensive Coverage

This insurance policy takes care of any damages caused by you or any other eligible party while driving the insured car. If you have personal comprehensive insurance coverage, it may also cover any rental cars driven by you or any other eligible driver. 

Pennsylvania drivers are also required by law to carry certain minimum amounts of insurance coverage when driving a motor vehicle within the state. They include: 

At least $5000 in 'medical benefits' coverage. This insurance coverage settles your medical bills or any other qualifying individual after a car accident regardless of the party at fault.

You'll also need to have at least $15,000 for bodily liability for every injured person. This coverage applies when you cause the accident.

You should have at least $30,000 total bodily injury liability per accident when you're at fault for the accident. And if there's any property damage involved, you're required to have at least $5000 worth of property damage protection per occurrence.

Yes, Pennsylvania is a no-fault state when it comes to car accidents. This explains why you need to have personal injury protection, also known as PIP coverage when you purchase car insurance in this state.

As a no-fault state, each driver's insurance company pays for their own medical and other qualifying expenses, regardless of the party at fault. While this might seem good, especially if you're at fault after an accident, it's never that easy dealing with insurance companies.

Things can get even more complicated when rental car insurance is also involved. 

Here's an example.

You pay for a rental car using your credit card and also purchase their car rental insurance. However, you also have your own personal auto insurance.

After renting the car, you get into an accident. In such a situation, where should you file your claim?

This can be very complicated, given that you may be eligible for compensation through your credit card company's auto insurance because you used your credit card to rent the car. You may also be eligible for compensation through your car rental insurance because you purchased their policy.

Lastly, you may be entitled to compensation through your personal auto insurance policy.

But as expected, insurance companies won't easily accept responsibility for the damages. In situations where their insured is clearly at fault, insurance companies may attempt to reduce the settlement amount their insured is entitled to.

This is just an example of the many reasons you might need to contact a rental car accident attorney to help determine the individual or party responsible for your compensation. An experienced attorney will review your claim, listen to your side of the story, and then provide the way forward. 

Having a rental car accident attorney by your side means you'll also have enough time to recover as the lawyer fights for your rights in or out of court. One of the many reasons insurance companies reject car accident claims is when there's a gap or delay in submitting the claim. In some cases, the insurance company might deny that the accident occurred if you don't follow certain procedures when reporting it.

Understandably, it can be overwhelming trying to understand the various car accident laws in Pennsylvania. But that's not something you need to worry about when you have Morgan & Morgan rental car accident lawyers representing you. Call our Pittsburg office today at 877-378-3148 or 215-446-0003 if you live in Philadelphia for a free case evaluation!