Hit and Run in a Rental Vehicle

[xcapemom]

I was picking up my daughter from the airport and I was side swiped by another vehicle so I motioned to him to pull over but he kept on going. I called 911 and then I caught up to the driver and got hs license number, gave it to the 911 operator and filed a report. I soon found out the vehicle had just been rented so I filed a claim with my insurance, they fixed the vehicle and took care of the bill minus my deductable. My insurance company has been trying to recover the deductable but there's a problem. The rental agency wont supply the address of the individual who hit me for privacy laws so they said they would send him a letter but he doesnt or hasnt responded. I dont understand if this was a hit and run cant the police get the information? What does someone do in my situation, I didnt commit a crime yet I am having to pay for it. Please help me to understand what my options are, if any.

 

[KatDini]

You need to be talking to your insurance company. That's one of the reasons you pay them.

 

[Betty3]

Was an actual police report filed? I would think your ins. co. could obtain his address & phone # from information in the report. Anyway, talk to your ins. co.

 

[army judge]

I was picking up my daughter from the airport and I was side swiped by another vehicle so I motioned to him to pull over but he kept on going. I called 911 and then I caught up to the driver and got hs license number, gave it to the 911 operator and filed a report. I soon found out the vehicle had just been rented so I filed a claim with my insurance, they fixed the vehicle and took care of the bill minus my deductable. My insurance company has been trying to recover the deductable but there's a problem. The rental agency wont supply the address of the individual who hit me for privacy laws so they said they would send him a letter but he doesnt or hasnt responded. I dont understand if this was a hit and run cant the police get the information? What does someone do in my situation, I didnt commit a crime yet I am having to pay for it. Please help me to understand what my options are, if any.

You can't PROVE who was driving the car.
Think about it?
You have a license plate number, a car allegedly damaged by the driver of a rental car, and you don't know who was driving the car.
Until you identify who was driving the car, you have only a cause of action against the OWNER of the car.
In your case, the car's owner is a rental company.

BREAKING NEWS: Rental car companies have lobbied state legislatures all across the USA. The rental car company is generally immune from these kinds of lawsuits, unless the driver of the car can be identified.



I suggest, as another poster did, you work with your insurance company to address this. If you have a $5,000 deductible, well, that's the risk YOU chose to wear.


Unless and until you identify and PROVE the identity of the person who was driving and HIT your car, you're stuck. You can't prove who was driving, unless the renter of the car rats himself or the driver out. That probably won't happen, and no one can make the renter rat out the driver, no one!

 

[CdwJava]

You called the 911 operator and provided the information ... that's not the same as making a report. And even if you did speak with an officer and he took a report, it's a misdemeanor that very often will not go much further than identifying the registered owner. And if the R/O was a rental company and the company refused to turn over the rental information, it's a toss up whether the police might seek a subpoena for the info or if they would pursue it much further even if they did. And, if the renter was from out of the area or in another state, the odds drop considerably.