Jul 20, 2026
Almost 5 million people were hurt in auto accidents and needed medical attention in 2024 and the costs of all of these injuries came in at $559.3 billion, according to the National Safety Council. This includes medical expenses, property damage and wage and productivity losses.
For those involved in a crash, coping with the resulting financial losses can be extremely difficult and knowing what to do to recover may feel impossible. That’s especially true in complicated situations such as when you’re hurt in a rental car accident.
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Typically, your personal auto insurance covers damage you cause to the rental car and injuries you cause to other people while driving a rental. Credit cards often offer coverage for damage to the rental car as well and you can usually buy certain coverage from the rental company.
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But what if you or your loved one is hurt in the crash? Let’s say, for example, that John, his wife and his son were involved in a collision with a rental car caused by another driver. They all suffered injuries and are worried the medical bills will devastate them.
So, what are their options in this difficult situation?
Make a bodily injury claim
John doesn’t necessarily have to cover the bills out of his own pocket. Instead, he can pursue a legal remedy.
“You want to make sure you maximize compensation on your bodily injury claim,” Jason Hine, a St. Louis personal injury lawyer at Miller & Hine, told Moneywise. “Depending on what state you have insurance in, you might be able to receive payments for your medical bills from your own insurance or the at-fault party’s insurance.”
If you live in a no-fault state, your own insurer would pay for medical bills or partial lost wages for minor injuries, no matter who was to blame. If you purchased optional personal accident insurance from the rental car company, this would also provide coverage.
Unfortunately, other rental car coverages or protections%20and%20your%20passengers.), like a collision damage waiver or supplemental liability insurance, only cover damage to the car or damage you cause to others. The same is true of credit card car rental coverage. So you’ll need to see what insurance you have in place.
Hine also said that if the other party is to blame, John could pursue a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurer, or, if that driver has too little coverage or no coverage, through his own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
“Your own insurance could make up the difference and pay you extra depending on the limits of your insurance coverage,” he said. “Make sure to check all avenues of insurance coverage.”
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Utilize your health insurance even though you’ll be reimbursed
John should also be strategic about how he pays the bills in the immediate aftermath of his accident before he gets a chance to make a claim and recover compensation.
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“If you are receiving medical bills after a car accident, it is important to give the medical providers your health insurance information,” Aaron Woodard, a personal injury lawyer and owner of Woodard Injury Law, told Moneywise.
Woodard explained that the at-fault driver’s insurer typically will end up paying medical debts, but that, “you will net more money in your settlement if the debts are paid at the discounted rates that your health insurance company negotiated with the medical providers.”
He advised against sharing information about your car accident claim with your medical providers, even if they ask for it, because it’s bad for your accident claim. There are many reasons for that, including the fact that providers may otherwise seek payments directly from settlement funds, which creates complications and can sometimes lead to provider overbilling.
“In sum, health insurance payments are good; payments from your car insurance company are bad,” Woodard said.
Get help from a lawyer
While John and his family clearly have options, determining which specific ones can help them cover the bills will be complicated and they should consult a professional.
“Interpreting insurance coverages can be complex for an automobile collision case, and there may be more than one avenue to try and obtain a recovery,” Bradley Pollock, a trial lawyer at Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman, LLC, told Moneywise. “This is why it is important to consult a trusted attorney to assist, especially when there are substantial medical bills involved.”
Fortunately, most attorneys who represent crash victims work on a contingency fee basis, so they don’t charge unless the client wins. And they also typically offer free consultations. John can schedule a meeting with a trusted attorney to explain the facts of his case and get personalized guidance on how, or if, his medical bills can be covered.
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Christy Bieber has 15 years of experience as a personal finance and legal writer. She has written for many publications including Forbes, Kilplinger, CNN, WSJ, Credit Karma, Insurify and more.
