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Car accident aftermath: advice please

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Ok...(by the way if this post isnt in the right place or what ever please feel free to move it)

So around 2 weeks ago I was in my local supermarket car park when somebody went into the side of me :mad:

More specifically: I went and did my shoppping, everything was fine. Got back to the car, put the shopping in, got myself comfortable, started the engine and reversed carefully out of the space. I proceeded to end of the section of where I was parked to turn left on to (what I would call it anyway) the main arterial road out of the car park. When I looked and it was clear and safe to go I turned left and I went over the small pedestrian crossing (it was clear) and as went into 2nd gear and went past the entrance/exit of the next section of the car park, there was a loud bang and the car shifted slightly to the right (for a spilt second I thought it was going to go over) I screamed, somehow managed not to swerve and slammed the brakes on. I got out of the car immediately and went to survey the damage - there is a massive dent in the passenger door where I was hit.

The driver of the car responsible came over straightaway and asked if I was ok and i said i was though i was shaking with the shock and the disbelief of it. She was a young woman only about my age I would say (im 23) and as it turned out, had young children in the car. She seemed much calmer than i was and seemed in a bit of a hurry to get it all over with. Because I was in shock i bowed to the pressure a bit and basically she has gone off without giving me all her details when I gave her: my name, home tel. no., mob. no., address, car reg and details and i guess in fairness neither of us had our insurance info on us at the time.

She wrote her info down in the back of my diary that i gave her and i wrote mine on a docs prescription.

I gave all my details - home and mob no.s, address and car info ahe gave me everything except her address and failed to write down her car reg clearly.

She said she got in contact with her insurance ppl and they said they cant be involved as our car is too old (16 years) and we are sure she has contacted them as she wouldnt know tht if she hadnt. Ours said the same thing. Except due to her not writing down the reg properly the car came up as a different car which was strange as i know what car it was. There is something not right about why she is being so evasive and saying we should sort it out between us - we have heard nothing since 2 weeks ago when it happened.

People have suggested reporting it to the police but we dont want any horrible phone calls or anything :S
I feel such an idiot for giving all my details and outting myself at risk of fraud or something awful. She really rushed me with things and i wish i had been more assertive :( her car only had a scratch on the bumper!!

As things stand the car door still has a massive dent in it and she probably wont payOld Mad

Does anyone have any advice
Thanks

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She said she got in contact with her insurance ppl and they said they cant be involved as our car is too old (16 years) and we are sure she has contacted them as she wouldnt know tht if she hadnt. Ours said the same thing. Except due to her not writing down the reg properly the car came up as a different car which was strange as i know what car it was. There is something not right about why she is being so evasive and saying we should sort it out between us - we have heard nothing since 2 weeks ago when it happened.

    This paragraph confuses me. What has the age of your car got to do with anything?

    When you say she wrote her details down, did it include her name and address?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the age of the car has got to do with the fact that 16 years is quite a long time to have a car and the fact that also it is too old for the insurance to cover any costs for the damage etc. that is what the insurance woman told my dad anyway.


    Her details included her name, mob. no. and car details but no address
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If your car is insured, then it is insured.

    To be honest, all you need to get these days is the car registration as insurance firms can look it up, as can police.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thats true - just to confirm the car is insured! But the point is the person responsible is evading paying for serious damage which they have caused to my car - so I either pursue it or not? It is extremely frustrating and dishonest of this woman just to go off and not be bothered about it!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is the damage just to the door? I had someone hit my rear passenger door going round a roundabout trying to change lane. I got a replacement door from ebay for £80 and (especially if your car is older and so I'm assuming no electrics in the doors?) they are nice and easy to replace as a 2 man job.

    My point is, even if you have been done over with this girls' details it's not going to cost an arm and a leg to put right anyway. Just think of it as a lesson and respond better if you're in this position again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dont listen to any shit about her insurance company saying your car is too old,thats bollocks. You have 2 choices, either she can settle the cost of repairs with you, or you contact your own insurance company and go through them.
    If you go down the first route then get some quotes and allow the other party to do the same. If she doesnt play ball then you contact your own insurance company and they sort it all out for you.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is the damage just to the door? I had someone hit my rear passenger door going round a roundabout trying to change lane. I got a replacement door from ebay for £80 and (especially if your car is older and so I'm assuming no electrics in the doors?) they are nice and easy to replace as a 2 man job.

    My point is, even if you have been done over with this girls' details it's not going to cost an arm and a leg to put right anyway. Just think of it as a lesson and respond better if you're in this position again.

    Hey, yes the damage is just to the front passenger door, massive dent in it - slightly affects the closing mechanism - you have to close it a bit harder. It has electric windows actually, but thankfully no damage to the electrics of them. I see your point - but why should I have to pay for what someone else did - she has got away with not paying and that isnt right.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey

    well the thing is our insurance co said the same thing - they couldnt help as the car is too old.

    I would like very much for her to settle the cost but is unlikely - she should be riinging up profusely apologising i know i would be! People just dont seem to care these days tho do they and i suppose im going to get a ticking off for saying that. Its not like its nothing, I was actually on my way to my grandads who I am the main carer for and it was his shopping that I had done when it happened. Therefore he didnt get his food I had for lunch til later coz of what happened.

    So basically im not meaning to sound like im going on at you but i just need to emphasise that my insurance people have just given a pathetic excuse for not being involved so there is not point in pusuing it with them, so compunding the fact tthat she has already wrongfully evaded involvement.

    Do you think reporting it to the police would be a help or a hindrance?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry but the "too old" thing is basically bullshit - unless you are saying that they have assessed the damage as more than the car is worth. That's a different matter, that's not about the age of the car but the value of it. You must persue this with your insurance company, that's what you pay your insurance for - this is the moment when you finally get the goods you have bought. You'd soon get pissed off is Tesco wouldn't let you eat the sandwich you bought from them.

    I think that you have unrealistic expectations of what she should be doing. She's not going to drop to her knees in front of you and beg forgiveness. Accidents happen. It wasn't deliberate. She's also not going to ring and profusely apologise.

    The police won't care about whether she covers the cost of your damage. All they will want to know is if she was insured. If she was then they'll just walk away.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi littlechattabox22,

    Thanks for your detailed post, it makes it a lot easier to understand the situation.

    I think other members have given you sound advice about your options.

    Whowhere sums this up nicely;
    You have 2 choices, either she can settle the cost of repairs with you, or you contact your own insurance company and go through them.

    Also what Slartibartfast says about the other lady is also true;
    She's also not going to ring and profusely apologise.
    Unfortunately, this lady has not made steps to put the matter right out of her own initiative. It's one of the risks that us drivers take when we drive; that we will encounter an unhelpful driver if we ever have an accident. But that's why we have insurance.

    And therefore, like others have already said, your insurance company should be able to help in this situation. Put another way, they know how old your car is and if they couldn't insure you because it was too old, then they would not have given you an insurance policy.

    Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to call your insurance company again and confirm exactly why it is they cannot help. If it's like what Slartibartfast said about the repairs being more than the value of the car, then this is another issue and you can then think about how to deal with that.

    Let us know of any updates and we'll be happy to help.

    :)
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