My First car Accident

[AlanHo]

I took an old handicapped friend out for a quiet pint at a local canalside pub last Friday. It was lovely sitting there in the sunshine watching the waterbirds and the boats gliding by.

He lives in a block of warden controlled flats with a small communal car park. When I took him home I was just about to enter the car park when I saw a car start to reverse out in front of me. I expected it to reverse away from my car - leaving it facing towards the car park exit - but the driver reversed at some speed towards my car. I pipped my horn - but it kept coming. I blew my horn, hastily put my car into reverse and tried to get out of the way - but failed. The car hit mine a glancing blow on the front nearside corner.

The driver was a rather frail old lady who was visibly shaken by the accident. She said she always reverses out of the entrance and has never met a car coming in before. I was very concerned about her health because she was in such a nervous state.

Her car suffered a displaced number plate light - which I was able to put back in place - plus a few scratches to add to the lumps and bumps already present.

At first sight it looked as though my car had just paintwork damage to the front valance and side wing in front of the wheel. She asked me to get a quote and agreed to pay for the damage and my costs so that her no claims discount was not affected.

Later that day I took the car to a local specialist body shop for a quotation - the engineer inspected the car and said that the bodywork had been pushed in and that the panels - especially the front 'bumper' valance would require removal to effect a proper repair. I think I need to go to specsavers because I had thought it only superficial - but the extent of the damage was obvious when he pointed it out - in fact the headlamp glass is now protruding about 6 mm from the bodywork.

Yesterday the postman delivered the the quotation - the grand total of £804 of which £542 is labour, £246 is paint and £16 is for parts.

I guess it will now be the subject of an insurance claim on her policy. It is my first accident after a driving record exceeding 50 years.

Now for the question

- do I tell my insurers to process the claim and thus get a black mark against my protected no claims - or do I ignore my insurers and chase her and her insurers myself? Its an entirely new experience for me.

[Boris]

With only 1 claim in 50 years, the odds are that you'll be too old to be in charge of a car before you have to make your next one !

:D :D

[catgate]

Earlier this year management went to York and left the car in the Park and Ride car park. When she returned some hours later she found a car reversed into the back of ours at a very silly angle. When the owner returned it transpired that he had parkedit out of gear, with the old fashioned crooklock clamped on and no handbrake applied. It had rolled back, whilst he and his wife were also in York, in an arc and had smote the Merc.as it sped rearwards.

In this case because the owner admitted liability (obviously management could not be accused of being party to the accident she was a couple on miles away when it occured.), the owners insurers did the job fairly quickly and our insurancecompany was not involved.

I did talk to my insurance broker about the situation as soon as it occured and the advice was "if you want the repair doing quickly do it through your own insurance and let them recover the cost from the other party". The down side is that if he other party has insufficient cover, through what ever reason, it will come out of your insurance and you will loose some of your NCB or it may be treated as a knock for knock.

In our case I spoke to the owners insurance direct, and the job was carried out in due course. I was told that It would have been done much quicker if it had been done through my insurers.

My advise would be talk to your insurance broker.

[Belatucadrus]

My first car accident was a long time ago, I was an impecunious student in Sheffield driving my pride and joy an aging VW 1600e coupe that had been a gift from my parents, I stopped at the red light on the pedestrian crossing, the divot in the van behind me didn't. I got out positively fuming ready for all contingencies except the one I found. I'd fitted a tow bar and it had punched a walloping great hole in his radiator grill, there wasn't so much as a scratch on mine. I rather uncharitably laughed told him and his mate how useful tow bars were and left him standing in the road.

[deuces wild]

I took an old handicapped friend out for a quiet pint at a local canalside pub last Friday. It was lovely sitting there in the sunshine watching the waterbirds and the boats gliding by.

He lives in a block of warden controlled flats with a small communal car park. When I took him home I was just about to enter the car park when I saw a car start to reverse out in front of me. I expected it to reverse away from my car - leaving it facing towards the car park exit - but the driver reversed at some speed towards my car. I pipped my horn - but it kept coming. I blew my horn, hastily put my car into reverse and tried to get out of the way - but failed. The car hit mine a glancing blow on the front nearside corner.

The driver was a rather frail old lady who was visibly shaken by the accident. She said she always reverses out of the entrance and has never met a car coming in before. I was very concerned about her health because she was in such a nervous state.

Her car suffered a displaced number plate light - which I was able to put back in place - plus a few scratches to add to the lumps and bumps already present.

At first sight it looked as though my car had just paintwork damage to the front valance and side wing in front of the wheel. She asked me to get a quote and agreed to pay for the damage and my costs so that her no claims discount was not affected.

Later that day I took the car to a local specialist body shop for a quotation - the engineer inspected the car and said that the bodywork had been pushed in and that the panels - especially the front 'bumper' valance would require removal to effect a proper repair. I think I need to go to specsavers because I had thought it only superficial - but the extent of the damage was obvious when he pointed it out - in fact the headlamp glass is now protruding about 6 mm from the bodywork.

Yesterday the postman delivered the the quotation - the grand total of £804 of which £542 is labour, £246 is paint and £16 is for parts.

I guess it will now be the subject of an insurance claim on her policy. It is my first accident after a driving record exceeding 50 years.

Now for the question

- do I tell my insurers to process the claim and thus get a black mark against my protected no claims - or do I ignore my insurers and chase her and her insurers myself? Its an entirely new experience for me.

Do not make a claim with your insurance company but notify your agent of the incident so he/she is aware of the accident in case something goes south on the claim with the elderly ladies insurance company.

Sorry to read about the incident.

[Gandalph]

I took an old handicapped friend out for a quiet pint at a local canalside pub last Friday. It was lovely sitting there in the sunshine watching the waterbirds and the boats gliding by.

He lives in a block of warden controlled flats with a small communal car park. When I took him home I was just about to enter the car park when I saw a car start to reverse out in front of me. I expected it to reverse away from my car - leaving it facing towards the car park exit - but the driver reversed at some speed towards my car. I pipped my horn - but it kept coming. I blew my horn, hastily put my car into reverse and tried to get out of the way - but failed. The car hit mine a glancing blow on the front nearside corner.

The driver was a rather frail old lady who was visibly shaken by the accident. She said she always reverses out of the entrance and has never met a car coming in before. I was very concerned about her health because she was in such a nervous state.

Her car suffered a displaced number plate light - which I was able to put back in place - plus a few scratches to add to the lumps and bumps already present.

At first sight it looked as though my car had just paintwork damage to the front valance and side wing in front of the wheel. She asked me to get a quote and agreed to pay for the damage and my costs so that her no claims discount was not affected.

Later that day I took the car to a local specialist body shop for a quotation - the engineer inspected the car and said that the bodywork had been pushed in and that the panels - especially the front 'bumper' valance would require removal to effect a proper repair. I think I need to go to specsavers because I had thought it only superficial - but the extent of the damage was obvious when he pointed it out - in fact the headlamp glass is now protruding about 6 mm from the bodywork.

Yesterday the postman delivered the the quotation - the grand total of £804 of which £542 is labour, £246 is paint and £16 is for parts.

I guess it will now be the subject of an insurance claim on her policy. It is my first accident after a driving record exceeding 50 years.

Now for the question

- do I tell my insurers to process the claim and thus get a black mark against my protected no claims - or do I ignore my insurers and chase her and her insurers myself? Its an entirely new experience for me.

Do not make a claim with your insurance company but notify your agent of the incident so he/she is aware of the accident in case something goes south on the claim with the elderly ladies insurance company.

Sorry to read about the incident.

In Britain, accidents have to be reported to your Insurance Company along with a written statement and a sketch of the accident scene. The Insurance Companies then decide between themselves who is to blame and which one has to pay for any crash damage.

[AlanHo]

Thanks for the replies.

However - I do not have a broker or agent. I insured direct over the internet with my insurers (Churchill this year)

I do have protected no claims - but only once in the year. If I use it up on this accident and have another one (don't things always run in threes?) I will be penalised

My understanding is that if I report the accident to my insurers, it is treated as a claim - even though I am blameless. The insurers argue that it is a no claim bonus - not a no blame bonus. A friend had a vaguely similar accident to catgate and reported it to his insurer. To his dismay the insurers treted it on a knock for knock basis and his insurer paid - even though it was not his fault.

Hence my dilemma..........

[andsome]

Personally I would report it and let them sort it out between the two companies having made it clear to my company that I would not accept knock for knock as I was the entirely innocent party.

You will find unfortunately that Churchill show NO customer loyalty whatsoever. When I received a renewal notice from them it was for almost 20% higher than the previous year. I complained by telephone and was told that I had been enjoying a new customer introductory bonus. This seems to be common practise, hence the reason that I change my insurer almost every year. :D

[AlanHo]

Personally I would report it and let them sort it out between the two companies having made it clear to my company that I would not accept knock for knock as I was the entirely innocent party.

You will find unfortunately that Churchill show NO customer loyalty whatsoever. When I received a renewal notice from them it was for almost 20% higher than the previous year. I complained by telephone and was told that I had been enjoying a new customer introductory bonus. This seems to be common practise, hence the reason that I change my insurer almost every year. :D

I am quite confident that the insurers will do as they please and I will have no say in the matter.

Like you - I now find it necessary to change insurers every year and have been with Churchill for less than one month. Undoubtedly the introductory bonus they hid in the premium made them competitive - but there are no other goodies - not even a nodding dog for the parcel shelf in the car to annoy following drivers.

[andsome]

Personally I would report it and let them sort it out between the two companies having made it clear to my company that I would not accept knock for knock as I was the entirely innocent party.

You will find unfortunately that Churchill show NO customer loyalty whatsoever. When I received a renewal notice from them it was for almost 20% higher than the previous year. I complained by telephone and was told that I had been enjoying a new customer introductory bonus. This seems to be common practise, hence the reason that I change my insurer almost every year. :D

I am quite confident that the insurers will do as they please and I will have no say in the matter.

Like you - I now find it necessary to change insurers every year and have been with Churchill for less than one month. Undoubtedly the introductory bonus they hid in the premium made them competitive - but there are no other goodies - not even a nodding dog for the parcel shelf in the car to annoy following drivers.

Heaven forbid that we ever see a nodding cat on a parcel shelf.

[rong]

Not quite the same thing as you but not long ago my wife reported that our car had caught fire and was burnt out so I phoned the insurance company and told them and that I would go and have a look to see the damage, when I got there it was just some wiring to the alarm that had shorted so I just cut and taped them, the point is I then told the insurance company to cancel the claim and they did. the other accident a couple of years ago someone ran into the back of me I informed my insurance company and as it was settled through the person that hit me it made no difference to my no claims, I even hired a car to hurry them up as they didn't like paying the rental.

So my advice would be to tell your insurance company and say you think it is going to be settled privately, it will probably cost you nothing but if you don't inform them and she turns difficult then you may find it difficult to claim.

[Gandalph]

Not quite the same thing as you but not long ago my wife reported that our car had caught fire and was burnt out so I phoned the insurance company and told them and that I would go and have a look to see the damage, when I got there it was just some wiring to the alarm that had shorted so I just cut and taped them, the point is I then told the insurance company to cancel the claim and they did. the other accident a couple of years ago someone ran into the back of me I informed my insurance company and as it was settled through the person that hit me it made no difference to my no claims, I even hired a car to hurry them up as they didn't like paying the rental.

So my advice would be to tell your insurance company and say you think it is going to be settled privately, it will probably cost you nothing but if you don't inform them and she turns difficult then you may find it difficult to claim.

I quite agree with your last paragraph rong. Under Law, and accident must be reported within twenty-four hours whether it be to the Police or an Insurance Company.

[AlanHo]

I have taken your collective advice and reported it to my insurance company - after first speaking to the lady who ran into me. She said that this morning she had bee to the local Zurich Insurance office (her insurers) and submitted a report accepting full blame.

This afternoon her insurers telephoned me and confirmed they were accepting full responsibility. They asked for my insurers details and my claim number - which I gave them. An hour later my insurers rang to advise me that they were dealing with the claim and I could go off on holiday and leave it to them. There will be no black mark against my no claims bonus and my excess will be paid by the third party.

Ten minutes later I received a phone call from Enterprise Car Hire to advise me that Churchill had been in touch with them and they were authorised to provide a free courtesy car for a maximum of 14 days whilst my car was being repaired. I am to book the car when the repair date is organised for after my holiday - (which starts tonight and I return from Italy on the 23rd Sept).

I can't believe how well organised both insurers have been and how smooth it has all gone (so far.....?)

[Chris]

Did you disclose that you were drinking?

[AlanHo]

Did you disclose that you were drinking?

There was no need - I didn't spill any......................

[andsome]

Have a great holiday. :D

[MJR]

Glad it all seems to be sorted satisfactorily for you, Alan. Enjoy your holiday.