When I am at work I usually put my car in a free public car park a couple of minutes walk from the office. On Friday I was a little late arriving and parked in a space on the road outside the car park. Big mistake.
Around midday a colleague returning from the bank said “I think you had better go and look at your car”. The police had closed the road and there was an E34 5-series at an awkward angle alongside my car and a Fiat Punto that had been parked in front. Apparently the driver of the 5-series had been taken ill and hit the two cars.
All of the offside panels on my car were damaged, as were the offside wheels and tyres. The police arranged the removal of the three cars and provided me with the details of the other driver. The driver, incidentally, was uninjured but badly shaken.
I phoned the insurance broker who pointed me in the direction of claiming on the other driver’s policy and, surprise surprise, arranged for a claims management company to contact me. By 5pm I had been provided with a hire car. Not sure that I did the right thing taking the hire car but I don’t have another car available.
My car is a 2006 BMW 325d SE with 68k on the clock. FWIW I bought it when it was a few months old and I am intending to keep it until it starts giving serious trouble. DPF problems apart (!) it has been a good car. I imagine that it is repairable.
Any advice/comments? (Apart from using the car park in future!)
|
Oh dear, this could be awful.
Firstly if the insurance company wish to be difficult, then depending on the circumstances and facts surrounding the "taken ill", then you may not be able to claim at all.
So immediately be very careful with your expenses. This is an incident for which I *would* use a claims management company, because there is a risk. However, make sure (really, really sure) that if they cannot recover their money from the other party that they cannot then pursue you for the money.
On your own part, do not incur any expenses that you cannot afford if the worst comes to the worst and you end up paying.
Make sure you complete all the steps for your own insurance company to ensure that they will pay for the car if you are unable to claim from the other person.#
Find out where your car is, what the storage is costing, and who is legally liable for that cost. If its you, and you have comprehensive, then insist your own insurance company take responsibility immediately.
It may be that you will have no issue claiming, but it is best to prepare...
Do you have TP or Comp?
|
Thanks No FM2R.
I have comprehensive insurance with, FWIW, "legal cover".
Apparently the other driver told the paramedic that she had felt unwell and was on her way to the doctor's!
|
Good.
You see she will only be liable if she was negligent. And you're not necessarily negligent just because you get ill.
Proceed as if you might get stuck with it in the end. Use the claims management company. Comply with all your own insurer' requirements. Feel free to email me if you need anything reviewed. My email address is under my username above.
Its all about minimising the risk. And don't make *any* decisions just because you;re being pushed - whoever is pushing. Take reasonable time to consider everything.
Most urgent, find out where car is, find out how much it costs, and tell your insurer the position NOW and ask them to move the car if they are not happy with the current arrangements. Put the onus upon them.
|
|
Admitting she felt ill before she drove can only be helpful to the OP, presumably.
|
Yes. Although beyond that it depends on the circumstances how much.
This is why this is an instance where the claims management company is a helpful idea; Because they will pursue that without sympathy/emotion or a care about PR.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 9 Jun 13 at 22:18
|
Thanks.
I know where the car was taken after the accident but I'll check where it is now and what they are charging.
|
>> Use the claims management company. Comply with all your own insurer' requirements.
My instinct - all I have because I'm not one of these shrewd guys - would be to think no to the first, obviously yes to the second. Why listen to ambulance-chasers? They'll just want an enormous cut. But your insurance if respectable should see you all right. You may have to insist a bit.
That's the way it's supposed to be anyway. I must confess it never has been with me. I getr impatient and just pay, although I can ill afford it whatever people may think. Life's too short.
Actually that is rather preying on my mind at the moment.
|
Who is the claims management co.?
Are you really still liable if they can't recover in this day and age?
When I used SytnerDrive in January, they made it quite clear that I would not be liable for repair or hire costs under any circumstance apart from the third party could not be traced, but they had already admitted liability to SytnerDrive in any case. I even got a 'car care kit' to help take care of the new paintwork.
|
>>Are you really still liable if they can't recover in this day and age?
I'd always ask. Seems daft not to check.
|
BMW 3-Series E90 - Someone's hit my parked car - No FM2R
