Procedure To Follow If Involved In Car Accident While Driving Leased Vehicle

Quick planning becomes a problem for anyone that has become involved in a motor vehicle accident. It poses an even greater challenge, if you happen to be driving a leased vehicle.

Actions to take in the moments immediately following the collision:

• Check to see if you are OK, in other words make sure that you do not have any severe injuries. Check on any passengers in your vehicle.
• Call the proper authorities, the police and the ambulance (if needed).
• Take lots of pictures of the damage. Take your photographs from different angles.

How to report the accident?

Report the accident to the vehicle’s true owner, the leasing company. If you do not have the leasing contract, get confirmation from the leasing company, regarding the required features on the parts used to repair the damage. Most leasing companies ask that manufacturer approved parts be used by the person that does the repair work.

How to make a claim?

How are you supposed to get money for manufacturer approved components? Assuming that you were not at-fault, your Personal Injury Lawyer Oakville will start by filing a claim with the other driver’s insurance company. See if that company will provide you with coverage. The company will need to study the terms of the policy that was taken out by the other driver.

If the other insurance company has refused to provide you with any coverage, you still have two options open to you. If you want, you can initiate legal action against that particular insurer. Alternatively, you can use your own insurance. Most leasing agreements require that the person who signs the lease makes a point of insuring the leased vehicle.

The leasing company does not pay for any repairs. Yet it has the right to demand utilization of manufacturer approved components. The person that leases a vehicle assumes the responsibility of returning that same set of wheels in a condition that matches the condition of the leased car, truck, van or SUV.

Possible exceptions to the procedures outlined in the above guidelines:

Most leasing companies have their customers sign a contract. If you have found a way to lease a car without signing a contract, then you might be able to get away with using a lower grade of component. You might even be able to select the means by which a repair should get carried out.

Suppose, for instance, that you were leasing a sports car, but had not signed a contract. Suppose, too, that you somehow got a dent in the part of the body that was just above the wheel. In that case, you might be able to have the appropriate part cover that dent, and also enhance the look of the wheel.