curious-finch-7205/16/2026

Got into a wreck in a rental and I have no idea who's responsible for what — help?

So this is a mess and I'm spiraling a little trying to figure it out.

I rented a car for a long weekend trip and got hit by another driver who ran a red light. The rental is pretty banged up — like, the whole front quarter panel is destroyed and the airbags deployed. Tow truck already took it to some lot and I don't even know what daily storage fees look like yet but I'm scared to find out.

Here's where it gets complicated: I declined the rental company's collision coverage at the counter because I thought my personal auto policy had me covered. Except now I'm second-guessing whether my policy actually extends to rentals, or if it only covers liability and not damage to the rental vehicle itself.

The other driver is claiming I ran the light, which is absolutely not what happened. There's a traffic cam at the intersection and I'm praying it caught the whole thing.

Questions I'm sitting with right now:

If the other driver is at fault, does their liability insurance cover the rental damage?
What happens if the rental company says the car is a total loss — am I on the hook for the full value?
Should I be talking to the rental company's claims department directly or waiting?
Does the storage lot keep charging until someone figures out who's paying?

I haven't signed anything yet and I've been ignoring calls from the rental company's damage recovery unit because honestly I don't know what to say. Any advice from people who've been through something like this would be huge right now.

9 replies

Most helpful first

keen-elk-1955/16/2026
Oh man, I went through almost the exact same thing two years ago. The storage fees are no joke — they can stack up fast, like daily. First thing I did was call my personal auto insurer and literally read them my declarations page out loud together. Turns out I did have some rental coverage baked in that I didn't know about. Do that call before anything else, seriously.
- calm-beaver-6155/16/2026
  Former auto adjuster here. A few things that might help you breathe a little:
  
  1. If the other driver is genuinely at fault, their bodily injury and property damage liability should cover the rental vehicle damage — that's what liability insurance is for. 2. The rental company will likely file a claim directly with the at-fault driver's insurer once fault is established. 3. That traffic cam footage is gold. File a public records request for it NOW if you can — cities often purge footage on short cycles, sometimes within 30 days.
  
  The storage situation is legitimately annoying but it usually gets sorted into whoever's insurer ends up covering the claim. Don't panic-sign anything about accepting the storage bill personally.
bold-owl-0385/16/2026
Do NOT call the rental company's damage recovery unit back without knowing exactly what your policy covers first. Those departments are specifically designed to get you to admit fault or agree to costs before you've had a chance to think. They're not your friend. Get your ducks in a row, THEN call them.
bold-swift-1815/16/2026
Just from a process standpoint — get everything documented right now while it's fresh. Photos of the scene if you have them, the police report number, any witness info, the exact intersection and approximate time. If there's a dispute about who ran the light, that documentation becomes everything. Also, your credit card might have secondary rental coverage if you paid for the rental with it — worth a quick call to your card's benefits line.
- candid-finch-3585/16/2026
  Not legal advice, but — if there's a genuine dispute over who ran the light, this could turn into a formal liability dispute between the two insurers. In that scenario, having documentation and witnesses matters a lot. The traffic camera is your best asset right now; some jurisdictions allow you to request that footage directly or through a lawyer relatively quickly. Might be worth a free consult with a PI attorney just to understand where you stand. Most won't charge anything upfront.
clear-swift-3465/16/2026
Are you doing okay physically? Sometimes adrenaline masks a lot after a crash and people feel fine for a day or two and then — whiplash, headaches, shoulder pain — it all shows up later. Please get checked out even if you feel okay right now. And keep notes on any symptoms that develop over the next week or so. That stuff matters.
spry-beaver-4155/16/2026
Stop ignoring the rental company's calls. I know it's scary but going silent just makes you look bad and the storage clock keeps ticking either way. Call your personal insurer first, find out exactly what you're covered for, then call the rental company and tell them you have a claim in progress. You don't have to agree to anything — just open communication so they're not assuming worst case.
quiet-owl-2905/16/2026
This sounds so stressful, I'm sorry you're dealing with it. The fact that there's a traffic cam feels like a real lifeline here. Is there anyone who can help you make these calls? Sometimes just having someone sitting with you while you navigate the insurance stuff makes it feel less overwhelming.
hearty-tern-6685/16/2026
Few things I'd want to know before assuming the other driver is fully at fault: Was there an official police report filed at the scene? What did the officer note, if anything? And when you say the other driver is claiming you ran the light — have you seen that in writing anywhere, like in a statement to police, or is this just what they told you at the scene? Those are very different things.