cool-bison-0195/11/2026

T-boned by someone who ran a red — car is totaled and I need a rental ASAP for work

So this happened out of nowhere on Tuesday afternoon. I was driving straight through a green light on a pretty busy road when a truck just blew through the red on the cross street and slammed into my driver's side. I had zero time to react — just a huge bang and suddenly my car is spinning into the median.

The car is absolutely done. The whole left side is caved in and the frame is bent. I've been told it's not going anywhere except a tow yard.

I filed a claim with my own insurance right away and also opened a third-party claim against the other driver's carrier. The other driver was 100% at fault — there are traffic cameras at that intersection and two witnesses gave statements to the police on the scene.

Here's my problem: I'm a home health aide. My whole job is driving to clients across the county every single day. No car means no income. I cannot afford to miss a week of work while this drags out.

I went through the online claim portal for the at-fault driver's insurance and I could not find anywhere to request a rental. Like, that option just doesn't seem to exist on their site. Do I call them directly and specifically ask for a rental authorization? Does my own insurance cover it in the meantime and then get reimbursed? I have no idea how any of this works — this is genuinely my first accident ever and I'm completely lost.

Any advice from people who've been through this would be really helpful. I'm already stressed about my injuries (sore neck and shoulder) and I really can't afford to lose my job on top of everything else.

8 replies

Most helpful first

patient-crane-8635/11/2026
I went through almost this exact situation last year. What worked for me was calling the at-fault driver's insurance directly — like actually calling, not messing with the portal. Tell them you need a rental authorization immediately because you rely on your vehicle for work. They should be able to set you up with a rental company directly so you don't have to pay out of pocket. The online portals are useless for this stuff in my experience.
- swift-crane-7105/11/2026
  Former adjuster here. The portal not having a rental option isn't an accident — a lot of carriers make it deliberately annoying to request certain things online so people give up. Call the liability line directly, ask to speak to the adjuster assigned to your claim, and say the words 'loss of use' and 'rental authorization.' They know exactly what that means and it should trigger the process. If they stall, remind them their insured ran a red light and there's camera footage. That tends to speed things up.
- curious-otter-7595/11/2026
  Just be careful — when you call, they're going to be friendly and helpful-sounding, but they are not on your side. Don't volunteer too much information about your injuries yet. Get the rental locked down first, but don't let them pressure you into a quick recorded statement about how you're feeling physically. You're still early and you don't fully know what you're dealing with yet.
- daring-finch-6655/11/2026
  A couple of things worth knowing: if the other carrier drags their feet on the rental (they sometimes 'investigate liability' before authorizing anything, even when fault is obvious), you can go through your own insurance's rental coverage in the meantime if you have it. Your insurer would then pursue reimbursement from the at-fault carrier through a process called subrogation. It's also worth documenting every single day you can't work — dates, hours, lost wages. That becomes part of your claim.
mellow-lynx-6145/11/2026
Please don't brush off that neck and shoulder soreness. Adrenaline masks a lot right after a crash and soft tissue injuries can feel way worse by day three or four. Even if you feel okay enough to push through work stuff right now, get checked out by a doctor soon and tell them exactly what happened. Having that documented early matters a lot, both for your health and for any claim later.
careful-wren-2985/11/2026
Call. Don't email, don't use the portal, don't text. Pick up the phone, get the adjuster's name, and ask specifically for rental authorization in writing after the call. Follow up every call with an email summarizing what was said. Paper trail is everything with insurance companies.
humble-swan-0235/11/2026
Ugh, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Being hit like that and then having to immediately figure out all this insurance stuff while you're hurt and stressed is so overwhelming. Hoping you get the rental sorted quickly — please also take care of yourself physically, okay?
swift-otter-3905/11/2026
Not legal advice, but given that there's camera footage and witnesses putting fault clearly on the other driver, you're in a relatively strong position on liability. The at-fault carrier has an obligation to cover your loss of use (rental or equivalent). If they stall unreasonably, that's worth noting. Given your ongoing medical symptoms and lost income exposure, it might be worth at least a free consult with a PI attorney before you sign or agree to anything — most won't charge for an initial conversation.