Auto Insurance Claims: Rental car accident, rental car company, rental car companies

Question
Hi, I was hit from behind in a rental car by an uninsured driver (who claimed to be insured at the time, and gave false information on the police report). She was cited for the accident. Later after filing the insurance claim I found out she was not insured. I also was not insured and opted not to take the rental car's insurance (yes very stupid of me). They rental car company is now coming after me. What are my rights to see the estimate of the damages and the bill? They are wanting all the money upfront now and not offering me any more info. Should I ask for the mailing address and send off a certified letter stating I need to see the damage estimates?

Also what are my rights to go after the girl who hit me? Can I sue her in small claims court? The damage is a little over $6K.

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

As the renter of the car you are responsible to the rental company for any damage. You will have to pay the rental company and then you can file suit against the at-fault driver for what you had to pay out.

Rental car companies are notorious for demanding payment for all kinds of things. Yes, you should send a certified letter demanding that they provide you with the detailed estimate as well as photos of the damage. The rental car company may also try to add administrative fees, loss of rental income and diminished value. All of these items are negotiable. You should not pay any loss of rental income unless they can provide you with a computer report that shows that every vehicle in the local fleet was rented and that they were actually having to turn away customers due to this one car being out of service.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh