A car accident in St. Joseph involved three vehicles and caused two personal injuries. A rented U-Haul van ran a stop sign and collided with a vehicle in the intersection. The U-Haul then overturned onto a third vehicle, and emergency responders had to extract a passenger from the wreckage.
The accident raises several issues. One of them is how insurance works on rented vehicles, like moving vans.
U-Haul Truck Involved in Accident
The incident happened on Sunday, April 2, 2017, in St. Joseph. A U-Haul with two people in the cab was going southbound on 16th Street when the driver ran through a stop sign at the intersection with Jackson Street. The moving van slammed into a white Infiniti that was in the intersection. The van tipped onto its side in the collision and landed on a third vehicle. One of the occupants of the U-Haul was trapped in the wreckage.
Emergency responders at the scene had to use inflation devices to extricate the trapped person, and she was rushed to the hospital with moderate injuries. The driver of the Infiniti was brought to the hospital with head injuries, as well. The third vehicle, however, was able to leave the scene of the crash on its own.
Insurance and Renting a Moving Van
One of the issues that this accident raises is how insurance works for moving vans.
When you rent a van for moving or storage, you’ll often have the option of buying insurance coverage from the rental company for the time that you have the van.
If you don’t buy the insurance, you might think that you’ll always have to pay out-of-pocket for any damages that occur while you have the rental. However, this is not necessarily the case. Some credit card companies give their customers benefits that include insurance coverage for rental vehicles. Additionally, many auto insurance policies cover your own vehicle as well as certain rentals.
Unfortunately, both of these insurance options depend on your individual policy. Some auto insurance policies cover rental vans, but only up to a certain size. Other limitations might also apply, as well, so it’s important to read your policy before picking up a moving van. Finally, if you don’t have insurance then you’ll have to pay upfront for the damages to the rental vehicle and then deal with insurance companies to get reimbursed.
If you do buy a rental company’s insurance, on the other hand, you might assume that it covers everything that could happen. This is not the case. The insurance that most rental companies offer is not all-inclusive, and often does not provide coverage in crucial situations, like mechanical damage or hitting an overhead object with the top of the van. Again, though, each rental company’s insurance offerings are unique, and should be read before you pay for the moving van.
St. Joseph Car Accident Attorneys at the Smith Law Office
An important part of renting a van to move is the preparation and research that comes beforehand. Planning ahead can save you hundreds of dollars if you find that your credit card or personal auto insurance will cover you while you’re in the van, or thousands of dollars if you see that you need to take the rental company’s coverage.
If you do get involved in a crash while driving a rental van, contact the car accident and personal injury attorneys at the Smith Law Office by calling them at (816) 875-9373 or contact them online.