More Americans move during the summer than any other time of year, raising the risk of accidents from rental moving trucks. When a driver rents a truck that is later involved in an accident, figuring out who is responsible and what insurance company will cover expenses can often be confusing.
More Trucks on the Road
Because kids are out of school, the weather is warm, and home buying season is at its peak, summertime is the most popular season to move. Eleven to 13% of moves happen during the summer months, while less than 8% happen during other months of the year.
The average American moves 11.7 times in a lifetime, and nearly 70 percent of these moves are within the same county. It’s estimated that three-fourths of moves are do-it-yourself. This has led to a large number of rental trucks on the road, many of which are operated by drivers without much experience handling large vehicles.
Insurance Issues with Rental Trucks
Rental trucks are involved in numerous accidents each year. Unfortunately for those involved in these accidents, insurance coverage is minimal. Nevada Law only requires that leasing trucks be covered up to $15,000.
Some rental truck companies do offer additional insurance options for drivers, however, this coverage is not always comprehensive and many drivers forgo more coverage to cut costs.
Just like any other commercial-sized truck, the sheer size of rental moving trucks contributes to severe injuries, especially when pedestrians are involved. Combine this high injury risk with low insurance coverage and this leads to victims who are stuck with extraordinary medical bills, loss of work and pain and suffering.
In many cases, the renter, rather than the moving truck owner, is responsible for the accident. If a defective part or inadequate maintenance contributed to an accident, however, the owner may be liable. There are some other extenuating circumstances that may be considered in a moving truck accident case. If the truck was rented to someone without a valid license, was without auto insurance or intoxicated at the time of the transaction, this could be attributed to neglect by the rental truck company. A truck accident lawyer in Las Vegas can help injured parties to determine how an accident was caused and what compensation may be available to them.
