Home Home, Law & Money
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.

Car accident, help!!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi,

Basically a car skidded in the snow on friday and hit me head on. He did stop and check i was ok but has caused significant damage to my car. I got the drivers name, address and phone number but no registration number as it was dark and i was flustered.

I have rang and spoke to the driver of the other car and he wants to pay for damage and not go through insurance, i have advised it will be over a thousand pound to repair due to needing numerous parts and a respray. He is now asking for a written quote to be sent to his address so he can decide to go through insurance or not, he seems to think i am lying about the amount of damage caused.

I have told him i would prefer to go through insurance but he won't give me registration number or insurance details. I can't drive my car at the moment so need to get it repaired asap without all this messing about. I would go to his address and hope his car is parked outside but he said that his car is registered and parked at his dads address (for which he wont give me details). I don't know what to do, whether to threaten with police or just send quote. I really need his registration number!!

Any advice appreciated.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Get a quote sent to his address.

    He is required to give the information you asked for, but if it turns out he's not insured you'd have been better off letting him pay.

    The chances are his car will be parked outside his house - I guess you'd recognise it if you saw it again.

    The chances are he doesn't want to lose his no claims bonus - which could easily cost him more than a thousand pounds over the time it takes him to build it back up..

    Did you get any witnesses?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No witnesses as was on a quiet country lane. He did say he doesn't want to lose his no claims as drives a vw golf and is young (id say 20-25) but said as far as he was concerned i just needed a new headlight that would cost 300. I also need new bumper, wing and indicator light plus respray where he has scratched the paint work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    get the quote and send it to him, then if you dont hear anything within a set time frame tell him you want to go through insurance?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If there's any dispute about what the damage was and what needs to be repaired, then I'd be going through insurance to let them sort it out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes i would personally prefer to go through insurance as don't have the time to sort it all out but the problem is he won't give me details of his insurance or registration number. I've told him i would prefer to go through insurance but he won't listen.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becky4131 wrote: »
    Yes i would personally prefer to go through insurance as don't have the time to sort it all out but the problem is he won't give me details of his insurance or registration number. I've told him i would prefer to go through insurance but he won't listen.

    Just go and report it to the Police. He's refusing to give you the basic information you need to follow the prescribed legal route in this situation. Then get on to your insurers and start the ball rolling.

    Do you remember what car it was? Or the colour?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just go and report it to the Police. He's refusing to give you the basic information you need to follow the prescribed legal route in this situation. Then get on to your insurers and start the ball rolling.

    Do you remember what car it was? Or the colour?

    Yes it was a vw golf and grey in colour. I'm going to ring him again tomorrow and if he doesn't cooperate then i am going to get the police on the case.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becky4131 wrote: »
    Yes it was a vw golf and grey in colour. I'm going to ring him again tomorrow and if he doesn't cooperate then i am going to get the police on the case.

    I'd sort this out today. He could be spending this time fixing his own car up after which he could just deny it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have just rang the police who say he is breaking the law by not giving me the registration number of the car. They have advised to get in touch with him and explain if he does continue to withold registration number then he is breaking the law, hopefully this will be enough to get him to give it to me. If he won't then i have got to call police again and they will pay him a visit to get the necessary details.

    I have just tried to call him but no answer, so will keep trying.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It isnt as if you have made enough effort allready, ring the police and get an incident number as well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah, he's being completely out of order. He has to give you his detailsin the event of a crash. Also, I don't think you should bill him personally, I think you should use solicitors through your car insurance. There are things you might not ever think about that could be wrong with your car now, for instance, did you know you should change your seat belts after having been in an accident?
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    If it's just because he doesn't want to lose his no claims bonus then fuck him, he should be more careful on the road.

    There is a danger that if he isn't insured you could end up out of pocket tho.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    He rang me this afternoon and gave me his registration number. He still wants a quote for repairs even though i have told him it will be over £1000 so i will send him one. To be honest once he gets the quote i think he will decide to go thrugh insurance. He said he only had the car 3 days and passed his test 2 months ago.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    becky4131 wrote: »
    He rang me this afternoon and gave me his registration number. He still wants a quote for repairs even though i have told him it will be over £1000 so i will send him one. To be honest once he gets the quote i think he will decide to go thrugh insurance. He said he only had the car 3 days and passed his test 2 months ago.

    That would be why he is shitting himself :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For future reference, it's a Good Thing to buy one of those single-use £5 cameras, and keep it in your glovebox. Immediately after an accident, after checking nobody is about to pass away, get a shot from all four corners of the accident before moving the vehicles to clear the road; further pictures(of vehicle damage) can be taken without the need to hold the road up. :)

    Forget letting him sort it - you're going to end up going through the insurers anyway, by the sound of things. Document *everything*, including his refusal to give the required details, and go through your insurers. It'll be easier all-round, in this instance.

    Nothing wrong with doing things outside of the insurers in future - there are people out there who own a couple of cars, and bikes, and already have 3 or 6 points. They'll have the spare cash to spend a few hundred sorting out your car, and would rather do that than have a premium hike over several policies over a number of years. But you have to judge each case on its own merits.

    FWIW, aches and pains, stiff joints, etc can take a few days to show up. If you start to experience any, it won't hurt to let a GP give you a look over. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For future reference, it's a Good Thing to buy one of those single-use £5 cameras, and keep it in your glovebox. Immediately after an accident, after checking nobody is about to pass away, get a shot from all four corners of the accident before moving the vehicles to clear the road; further pictures(of vehicle damage) can be taken without the need to hold the road up. :)

    Forget letting him sort it - you're going to end up going through the insurers anyway, by the sound of things. Document *everything*, including his refusal to give the required details, and go through your insurers. It'll be easier all-round, in this instance.

    Nothing wrong with doing things outside of the insurers in future - there are people out there who own a couple of cars, and bikes, and already have 3 or 6 points. They'll have the spare cash to spend a few hundred sorting out your car, and would rather do that than have a premium hike over several policies over a number of years. But you have to judge each case on its own merits.

    FWIW, aches and pains, stiff joints, etc can take a few days to show up. If you start to experience any, it won't hurt to let a GP give you a look over. :)

    Definitely agree. As I was in a accident about a month ago, I was parked up when a driver reversed into my car while me and my other half were inside. He tried to drive off but I bolted out the car and made him stop. It was like he was unaware he had hit my car until I showed him (Large dent to my driver rearside and he pushed my car up on the kerb).

    This driver was also reluctant to go through insurers as he said he did not want to lose his points on his license, he was then trying to persuade me to take his details and he said he will fix it as he knows some one who has a garage. During this time I asked him for his details, which he gave e.g. insurance certificate; while I was taking his details he seemed very panicky, which made me want to call the police. Which got him quite aggregated and while I called the police he went into the back of his car and started driving water. Why was he so eager to drink water all of a sudden, then I realised he could have been drinking which is why he was so reluctant.

    The then police came I told them that I had a suspicion that he had been drinking, they then breathalyses him. During this time I was thinking that they would not find anything but then I saw the officers putting the driver in the back of their car.

    Once I told my insurance they sorted out everything for me and they were really efficient about it all as well.

    Make sure you go through your insurance as they can provide you with a courtesy or hire car for when your car is being repaired and the can also provide you with all the information you need for your claim; they normally take care of everything including solicitors if you suffered any injuries or out of pocket expenses.

    Hope this long story (sorry) helps you some what!
    Amyx
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi guys,

    Just to give you an update i have now referred the case to an accident management company who act as a inbetweener to communicate between us. They are hopefully going to sort it out for me so i will keep you updated.
Sign In or Register to comment.