Establishing fault in motor-vehicle accidents can be complicated but when an accident happens involving a borrowed vehicle, the situation becomes even more complex. Have you lent your vehicle to a friend, who unfortunately had an accident? It could hike your insurance rates considerably if you were to make a claim for repairs with your own insurance company. But would your friend’s insurance company pay for repairs to your vehicle? These and other questions can be answered by our award winning car accident and personal injury lawyers. Avail of a free consultation without delay and it can give you a better understanding of insurance regulations and personal injury laws too. Laws and regulations vary and frequently change across jurisdictions and an experienced accident injury lawyer can assist you with the procedures.

Some Possible Scenarios

There may be several possible scenarios in such situations:

• Friend drives with your permission and damage is minimal – this covers family members as well.

• Friend causes serious damage and is insured

• Friend causes serious damage but is uninsured

• Friend crashes car but has no license

• Friend has no permission from you to drive your car

• The person was not a friend and the car was stolen

In each of these situations, the important thing that every top rated personal injury lawyer in Ontario would advise you is that comprehensive or collision coverage for your vehicle follows the vehicle – hence your own policy kicks in to cover the cost of damages. Exceptions to this rule occur if the vehicle was driven by children who live with you, regular drivers of your vehicle, and if the situation is one of “negligent entrustment” when you have lent your vehicle to someone who was intoxicated, unlicensed or under suspension. Children and regular users of your vehicle should be added to your policy, otherwise your policy does not cover damages made by them.

Ontario Laws

In Ontario, if your friend, driving with your permission has special coverage under OPCF 27 (liability for driving non-owned vehicles, rent, lease etc) only then would their insurance company pay for damages caused by them, if you have signed a written contract saying you’re lending the vehicle to them.

Our top-rated accident lawyers would certainly advise you to report the accident to the insurance company within 7 days of the accident, whether it was serious or not, since they might use this as grounds for breaking your policy if someone sues you later.

If the fault was less than 25%, the vehicle-owner’s insurance rates will not go up. However, if the fault was higher, rates do increase, even if there was no damage.

If your record is relatively clean and there’s no major history of prior claims, your insurance company may not hike the premiums, but this really depends on individual situations.

Whatever the scenario, advice from an experienced car accident lawyer would ensure that your rights are protected and interests safeguarded at all times and that you are ably represented in all negotiations/communications with insurance companies.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333 or Text a Personal Injury ‎Lawyer 24/7 and get instant help. (416 931 5015)