I got into an accident on a rental car that I wasn't authorised to drive.Any advice on what I should do?Thanks

Question

My friend, the authorized driver of the car, was billed $10,000 in damages. I am surprised how the claims rounded up to $10,000. My friend is now asking me to pay as soon as possible. Being a student, I, however, don't have enough cash to fork out $10,000. What can I do? How can I lower the value of claims? What are my options? I am so desperate now.

Answer 1

Find you a pro-bono lawyer and see what your options are.

Answer 2

Something stinks in river city.  Your friend's insurance should cover it since he rented the car.  If not, your insurance should cover it.  

Frankly, the whole "authorized driver" thing in rental cars is a scam.  My friend and I flew into an airport and took the shuttle to pick up a car.  Of course we wanted to both drive it, but they then sprung on us that this was extra. How much extra?  About double the cost.  That's totally unjustified and unreasonable.

Answer 3

Take out a loan. You should not have been driving.

Answer 4

Imagine you 2 wont be friends much longer. You are screwed, he signed a rental agreement then let you drive....he is a twit. Now you will have to pay him for your mistake, if not i am sure you will see him suing you in court.

Rental car companies cover their asses.

Answer 5

Well, we had the exact same type of claim in our office a while back.  What happened is that the insurance company of the renter denied coverage because the person who drove the car was not the renter & his policy only covered the named insured.  The insurance policy of the person that was driving didn't cover either because it was nonpermissive use (he was not authorized to drive it BY THE RENTAL COMPANY since they are the owner & the ONLY one that can give permission).  So, the renter & the driver ended up paying the rental car company out of pocket.

Your friend may check with his credit card company, worth a shot, but I doubt they will pay either because your friend was in violation of the contract due to letting you drive.

As to the amount of the damages, you would be surprised how fast $10,000 in damages adds up.  Have your friend get a detailed bill, showing all of the repairs, parts, labor, etc.  Have him take it to a local body shop to see if the charges are reasonable, they probably are.  

He may also be on the hook (due to the contract he signed) for down time (loss of rental) on the vehicle, administrative costs, etc (these wouldn't be covered by his insurance company either anyway).  See if he can work out a payment plan.  He will have to stick to it too, otherwise, this could end up in court & he could have a judgement against him, which is far worse than just owing $10,000.

Answer 6

There is no "magic solution".  Contact the rental car company and ask for a itemized list of the damages.  You may be able to negotiate down a bit..............and Face the consequences of your actions

Answer 7

Do you have an auto policy of your own that was in force at the time of the accident? If so - file a claim. Your collision coverage may cover the damage to the rental as a non-owned auto.

Your friends auto policy does not have to cover you. It all depends on how HIS insurance policy reads.  The policy that HE purchased to protect HIM.  

It will outline what happens when some one who is not listed on the rental contract drives the car.

If you have an auto policy of your own - I suggest you file the claim with them and see if they will cover the loss.

Answer 8

I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to talk to a lawyer, now. If you don't have one in the family, check with your school-- almost all major colleges and universities have a pro-bono legal office that will provide general advice to their student body for free.