Am i liable for damages for rental equip?

[cowsrus]

I rented a trenching machine for some work for this weekend. I got it home and set up and trenched about 20 feet and hit a pipe in the ground and broke
the large shaft that operates the chain. When i rented it they told me that the price included insurance but they didn't explain what it covered. I called and never got a return call. I'm taking it back in the morning and i,m really nervous about possilby having to pay for the repairs. It looks like an expensive job. Anyone have any similiar experiences?
Also I called the utility notification service beforehand and they had marked all the utility lines so this some kind of pipeline from long ago.

[CurlyDave]

Read the contract they gave you when you rented it.

There should be a box about a "loss damage waiver" or something similar. If is is checked, you have coverage, if not you have a legal problem.

How about homeowner's insurance?

[cowsrus]

Actually when i rented it i didn't sign anything. They said i could wait till monday to do everything. They did say that insurance was included in the price though.

[Scooby074]

Originally Posted by cowsrus

Actually when i rented it i didn't sign anything. They said i could wait till monday to do everything. They did say that insurance was included in the price though.

Oh-oh...

Hopefully theyre an honest bunch and will cover you. Most companies i deal with automatically charge you insurance unless you can prove approiate coverage. Sounds like this one is the same. I imagine they'll go good for you.

[cowsrus]

Update: I finally got hold of the guy on his cell phone and he said not to worry, just bring it back and they would fix it. I specifically told him that we hit a pipe or something and asked him if they were going to hold me liable for damages and he no. So far so good. He sounds like an ok person to me. He hasn't seen it yet though. I guess i'll find out for sure in the morning when i return it.

[brin]

Originally Posted by cowsrus

Actually when i rented it i didn't sign anything. They said i could wait till monday to do everything. They did say that insurance was included in the price though.

If push comes to shove on Monday and he is not so nice, then since when you rented it and he said insurance was included and told you that you need not sign anything...then since you signed nothing and were laboring under his word that you were insured..it becomes his problem...you signed nothing...so do not worry ...you are fine. These rental companies know full well there are hazards lurking beneath the soil and that is why there is insurance and they expect to have some losses...it is figured into the rental fee...sleep tight.

[Travelover]

Generally rental places charge a damage waiver, which ends up being a money maker for them over all and saves them the hassle of trying to collect if something is damaged. It sounds like you are not going to have any hassle.

[cowsrus]

Thanks a lot, matter of fact i didn't sleep too good last night partly because of worrying about it. I do feel a lot better about it now.

[EddieWalker]

I'd be more worried about the pipe that you hit. Pipes are there to carry stuff. If it's water, then the worse that can happen is allot of mud. If it's anything else.......

Of course, there are allot of old pipes that are no longer in use, but there are also some that could be used again andare not in use right now. As long as it's an unknown pipe, then what was in there, what might come out of there and what happens to it are also mysteries.

Good luck,
Eddie

[powerstroke444e]

I would find out what you hit? As most trenchers dont break when you hit something the Mangel what they hit and cost lots to fix what they tear into. best of luck hope you get your project done.