Rental Car Accidents in Nevada – A Legal Guide

If you are a victim of a rental car accident in Nevada, you may be able to file negligence lawsuits against not only the driver but also the rental car company. If successful, you can win compensatory damages to cover your:

• medical bills,
• lost wages,
• loss of future earnings,
• pain and suffering, and/or
• wrongful death

If you are injured in a rental car accident, you may still be able to seek monetary relief even if you were partially at fault: Nevada’s comparative negligence laws allow you to recover damages so long as you were 50% or less responsible.

If the guilty party caused the car crash on purpose, you may be able to get sizeable punitive damages as well.

Anyone involved in a rental vehicle accident should never admit fault or negotiate with a car insurance company without an attorney. Having an experienced lawyer can greatly increase your chances of getting a large settlement that covers all your expenses and more.

In this article, our Nevada personal injury attorneys answer frequently-asked-questions about rental car accident law in Nevada, including

• claims,
• statutes of limitations In Nevada, and
• damages.

• 1. What can I do if I got injured by a rental car in Nevada?
• 2. What money can I get if I am injured by a rental car in Nevada?
• 3. Whom can I sue if I got injured by a rental car in Nevada?
• 4. What insurance covers rental car accidents in Nevada?
• 5. Can I still get money if I was partially at fault for my rental car accident in Nevada?
• 6. When can I sue after a rental car accident in Nevada?

Also see our related article on Las Vegas car accidents.

1. What can I do if I got injured by a rental car in Nevada?

If you are injured by a rental car in Nevada, you can file a lawsuit against the guilty party (or parties) for negligence. Negligence has four elements, and you have to prove all of them in order to win the case:

1. The defendant(s) owed you a duty of care;
2. The defendant(s) breached this duty;
3. This breach caused your injury; and
4. This injury resulted in damages.¹

Some examples of rental car motorists being negligent include:

• Distracted or careless driving, which is common in Las Vegas where the renter is a tourist unfamiliar with the streets;
• Drowsy driving, which is also common in Las Vegas where drivers have been partying on the Strip until the early hours;
• Driving the motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs (DUI); and/or
• Speeding

Note that rental car companies can be negligent as well, such as renting cars to underage drivers or failing to maintain the vehicles properly. If the car is defective, it may be possible for you to bring a strict liability suit against the manufacturer.²

If you are in an auto accident, you have a duty to exchange contact information and insurance information. Every insurance company has an emergency number to call to file an insurance claim.

As with any automobile accident, rental car collisions can have devastating consequences including

• broken bones,
• brain injuries, and
• spinal injuries.

2. What money can I get if I was injured by a rental car in Nevada?

If you were injured by a rental car, you may be able to pursue compensatory damages for the following:

• reimbursement of doctor’s costs;
• lost wages;
• loss of future earnings;
• property damage;
• pain and suffering (capped at $350,000), and/or
• wrongful death (the deceased’s estate acts as the plaintiff)

If the guilty party is a government employee acting in the course of their job, then they are liable for up to $100,000 in compensatory damages.³

Note that you may be eligible for punitive damages if the guilty party intentionally or maliciously caused the rental car accident. However, Nevada puts a cap on punitive damages at:

• $300,000 (if the compensatory damages amount to less than $100,000), or
• Three times (3) the compensatory damages (if the compensatory damages amount to $100,000 or higher).⁴

Also note that people who deliberately contribute to a rental car crash can be charged for a crime in Nevada and face hefty prison time.

3. Whom can I sue if I got injured by a rental car in Nevada?

Potential defendants under Nevada rental car accident law include:

• The driver of the rental car, who should have their own car insurance policy;
• The rental car company; and/or
• The rental car manufacturer, if the car had a defect

Obviously if your rental car was hit by another car, the you could sue that other driver.

3.1. Rental car companies in Nevada

Currently, the following rental car companies operate in Nevada:

• Dollar
• Thrifty
• Enterprise
• Budget
• Avis
• National
• Alamo
• E-Z
• U-Save
• Hertz
• ACE
• Fox
• Sixt
• Payless
• Advantage
• Firefly

4. What insurance covers rental car accidents in Nevada?

Depending on the case, there are three possible sources of rental car insurance coverage in Nevada:

1. The at-fault driver’s own insurance company,
2. The rental car company’s insurer, and/or
3. Credit card companies, which often provide automatic credit card insurance when cardholders use the card to rent cars

How and when these various liability insurance policies apply turn on the circumstances of the auto accident and the fine print in the insurance contracts. If you have your own car insurance coverage as well as supplemental rental company’s insurance, you may be able to get coverage from both – especially if your personal auto insurance is insufficient to cover damages.

Nevada law mandates that rental car companies pay up to $25,000 if there is an accident and no other coverage exists. Then if the injured party is not adequately compensated by the driver’s personal auto insurance policy, rental car companies have to pay up to $50,000 per accident.⁵

If you rent cars, you are advised to consult with your insurance provider agents to learn more about their policies and your options in the event of an accident – even if you already have personal accident insurance. (Note that “liability coverage” comprises medical expenses and damages to the other car, while “collision coverage” comprises damages to the policyholder’s vehicle.)

Even if you have your own insurance when you rent a car, it may be wise to buy the rental company’s supplemental insurance to be double covered during the rental period. The additional insurance may also lower the risk of paying a high deductible under your driver’s insurance policy.

5. Can I still get money if I was partially at fault for getting injured by a rental car in Nevada?

It depends how much at fault. Under Nevada law, courts can award damages to you as long as you were 50% or less to blame for the accident. As expected, courts reduce the damages amount by the percentage that you were at fault.⁶

As with any automobile accident case, typical evidence that comes into play includes

• surveillance video,
• eye-witnesses,
• weather reports,
• road conditions,
• medical records,
• GPS records, and
• photos that the drivers or other bystanders may have taken of the damage.

6. When can I sue for a rental car accident in Nevada?

There is a two (2) year statute of limitations in Nevada to bring rental car injury lawsuits. Once the statute of limitations passes, you can no longer recover damages.⁷

Call a Nevada personal injury lawyer…

Were you injured by a rental car in Nevada? Then contact our Las Vegas rental car accident attorneys for a consult on your injury claim free of charge. We will fight for the largest money damages possible in your case, and you pay zero unless we win your case.

Also see our article, Nevada Car Accident Laws – 7 Things You Must Know, which includes information about when to file an accident report with the DMV.

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