Rental Truck Accidents Can Be Complex

Contact the attorneys known for trucking litigation

People rent trucks every day – for moving, transporting specific items, or for special events. What happens if you were hurt in a truck accident involving one of these rented vehicles? If the accident was caused by negligence, you deserve financial compensation. But the legal process can be complicated and frustrating.

If you have been injured in a rental truck accident, you may be dealing with physical injuries, emotional distress, and financial stress. An experienced rental truck accident attorney can help. At Fried Goldberg LLC , the majority of our practice is focused on trucking litigation. We know how to handle complex cases and hold negligent parties accountable.

What causes rental truck accidents?

Rental truck services are widely available. There are several big companies that people use to rent trucks, including U-Haul, Penske, Budget, Enterprise, Sunbelt Rentals, and Home Depot. Drivers can rent trucks of varying sizes for a day, multiple days, or even a full week.

Rental truck accidents can happen due to various factors, including:

Inexperienced drivers – Drivers renting the trucks may have limited experience in operating larger vehicles. Lack of familiarity with the size, weight, and handling characteristics of rental trucks can lead to accidents, particularly in unfamiliar road conditions.
Fatigued driving – A move may involve long distances, often with tight schedules, leading to driver fatigue. Drowsiness can impair judgment, reaction times, and overall driving ability, increasing the risk of accidents.
Improper loading – Incorrectly loaded cargo or exceeding weight limits can affect the stability and maneuverability of rental trucks. Improperly secured items can shift during transit, causing loss of control and potential accidents.
Mechanical failure – Rental truck companies have a responsibility to inspect and properly maintain their vehicles. However, in some cases, inadequate maintenance or mechanical failures such as faulty brakes, tire blowouts, or steering problems can contribute to accidents.

But following an accident, drivers and rental truck companies often deny doing anything wrong. This makes it more difficult to prove negligence was responsible for the accident.

Types of rental truck accidents

Negligence on the part of a driver or a rental truck company can lead to an accident that leaves people injured. Common types of accidents seen with rental trucks include:

Rear-end collisions – A rental truck strikes the vehicle in front of it. These accidents can happen due to factors such as driver distraction, tailgating, or sudden stops.
Intersection accidents – These can happen when drivers fail to yield the right of way, run red lights or stop signs, or make improper turns. Intersection accidents can result in T-bone collisions or side-impact accidents.
Lane change accidents – There can be a crash when the driver of a truck attempts to change lanes without proper signaling, checking blind spots, or giving other vehicles enough space. These accidents can lead to sideswipes or collisions with adjacent vehicles.
Rollover accidents – These accidents may occur due to factors such as speeding, abrupt steering maneuvers, overloading the truck’s cargo capacity, or failing to adjust for hazardous road conditions.
Parking lot accidents – Rental truck drivers collide with other vehicles, pedestrians, or stationary objects while maneuvering in tight spaces. These accidents may involve backing into another vehicle, hitting pedestrians, or striking buildings or shopping carts.

How a lawyer can help after a rental truck accident

An accident involving a rental truck can leave you seriously hurt. Common injuries include whiplash, broken bones, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injuries, and damage to internal organs. This can result in overwhelming medical expenses and lost wages if you are left unable to work.

A lawyer can investigate your crash to prove negligence. This involves reading accident reports, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing photos and videos of the accident scene. A lawyer can review the rental agreement, maintenance records, driver qualifications, and insurance coverage.

Who is liable in a rental truck accident? The driver of the rental truck can be held liable if their negligence caused the accident, such as speeding. However, if a mechanical failure caused the crash and the rental company was negligent in maintaining the vehicle, the rental company could be held responsible.

An experienced rental truck accident lawyer will know how to build a strong case and demand compensation from the insurance company. If they won’t agree to a settlement that meets your needs, an attorney can help you file a lawsuit to pursue compensation through the legal system.

It’s important to get legal advice as soon as possible following your crash, and to choose an attorney who knows how to handle truck accident cases.

Contact us to schedule your free consultation

Our firm has extensive experience with rental truck accident claims and is known throughout the country for our work in trucking litigation. We also share our knowledge with other attorneys to hold negligent truck drivers and trucking companies accountable.

One of our attorneys can review the details of your rental truck accidents and discuss your legal options for recovering financial compensation. We know you likely also have a lot of questions, and we can give you answers. There’s no cost and no obligation.

Don’t wait. Every state has a statute of limitations for taking legal action following a truck accident. In Georgia, it’s two years from the date of the crash. But it can take time to build a case, and it’s important to gather evidence before it’s lost or destroyed.