Car Insurance Nightmare

JustTan

Sorry for the length of this, but I realy need help.

On 19th May 2008 i was driving my husband to a hospital appointment when I was hit by another car.
I was approaching lights, they were green , there was no sign of any oncoming car doing anything else other than going strait on. Check mirrors, check right and left, check speed, check lights green. Drive through. Car turns right, right in front of me, I brake, bump.
Insurance company value my car at £350.00 and write it off.
Send photo's, of accident site, contact for a witness.
Send accident report.
Get £150.00 access off my insurance company.
Other party denies liability, claims I ran a red light.(how can other party see my light from their green light ???)
I invoke my legal cover to fight.
3RD SEPTEMBER 08 still waiting for other parties accident report to be submitted to their insurance company???
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30 OCTOBER after several letters from my insurance company still waiting to hear from other party. LETTER FROM DIRECT LINE (other parties insurance company) DIRECT TO ME :- FINAL DEMAND £1917.09 + £275.00 excess "It is unfortunate that it is now necessary to contact you directly. Despite corresponding with your insurance company requesting reimbursement of the cost of our claim, we have not received payment. blah blah....14 days blah blah....legal proceedings "
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Totally out of order. Sent to my solicitors with letter saying I would fight this to the last drop of my legal cover and go public for help if i had to. Its not the money its the principal, and we are a low income family, I have lost 2 years no claims worth £500.00 and had to get a car in an emergency as my mum was ill in wales and I had to get transport to go see her regular.
18TH NOVEMBER My legal department told direct line off.
4TH DECEMBER "THEY ADMIT LIABILITY"
26TH JANUARY Letter from my lawyers saying they have wrote to direct line pursuing the settlement check.
Called my lawyers today, told they have WITHDRAWN THEIR ADMITTANCE" WHAT!!!!!!! How the heck can they do this. This is a poxy £350.00 quid. I feel they are trying to force me to give up, why???? its not like its a major claim. There was no noticable damage to the other parties car. Now they want witness statement, after 10months? There has got to be some way I can get something done about this. Direct line are taking the mick. The other party change their minds like the weather and they put up with it, they send me harrasing letters, final demands no less and expect me to put up with it, they drag the claim out beyond any reasonable time for a miner bump. And in any court turning right into oncoming traffic whilst lights are green would fail you your driving test as being dangerouse driving. Had a police man seen her she might have been prococuted for not paying due care and attention.
This may sound petty, but its principle, I am sick to death of not being able to do anything about incidents like these, when the big organisations make a mistake and we can do nothing about it. I feel like they are laughing at me.This is taking the mick, after all they work for us, dont they?
And more importantly the other party seemed oblivious to the fact that they had done anything wrong. Just repeatedly stating "but i was turning right". If we had been on our bikes with our kids as we often do, one of us would have been seriously hurt or dead. If they didnt see my big car, they should not dbe driving.

Is there anyone out there who can help me find a way to get something done about this.

Thanks T

Futureeconomist

I'm really sorry to hear about your situation, its always difficult when a party clearly at fault denies liability.
Just a quick disclaimer, I'm no claims expert but I've dealt with car insurance and seen more than a few claims on the copmuter system.

One thing in the story jumped out at me. You said your legal guys sent you a letter saying Direct Line admitted liability. You need to confirm this because if your side has got a letter admitting liability, that should be the end of it, their side pays, you get you no claims back, end of drama.

So ask your lawyers categorically if they have this letter, if they do they or your insurer should find it simple to wrap the whole thing up.

Best of luck

Quentin

Something may have come to light that has resulted in the change of heart.

But you won't have to pay the amount now claimed - if it is decided it is payable by you, then your insurer will pay it.

You say your insurer gave you £150 "access". Do you mean they paid you £150 after deducting £200 excess for your written off car?

If so, then your claim was settled.

JustTan

My insurance company paid me the £150.00 after taking off the access., they said how it works is, if the claim was successful they would get the £350.00 for the car. I would get the £200.00 after they had taken off the £150.00 they paid me. If I lost, I would loose my no claims bonus for good. I have currently had 2 years taken off me until this is settled.
As for a change of heart. How long is considered a reasonable time to change your mind, again, and again and again. At this rate the other party could change their mind indefinitely. Is there not some guidelines as to what is considered reasonable. I have a lad involved in a car insurance claim, he is still undergoing physio and treatment two years later for a serious incident. This was a bump that wrote off my old banger and left theirs with nothing noticeably wrong.

I will check with my legal company to see if they have anything in writing from direct line.

Thanks for your input.
T