HELP - Insurance Company Scrapping Car

noons

I think I'm posting this in the right place, apologies if i'm not.

My mother was involved in a car accident approximately 2 weeks ago where she was hit from behind. She says the hit was very hard but there was very little damage done to her car - it looked like the bumper was the only thing damaged. She contacted her insurance and they arranged for a salvage company to come and collect the car to be taken away to be inspected. She contacted her insurance about a week later and they said someone would be in contact with her about the car and they had not made up their mind yet how much damage had been done.
She had been given a rental car by the insurance company while they assessed her car. Yesterday the rental company phoned and said they were coming out the collect her rental car so she telephoned the salvage yard asking when she could get her car back and they said they didn't have it. She then telephoned the insurance company and they said they were writing the car off and that it had been scrapped.
She has had no monetary offer from the insurance company and has no car. She reckons the car has been stripped by the salvage company as it was in excellent condition with very little mileage. Does anyone know where she stands - is the car still legally hers? The salvage yard say it belongs to the insurance company as she handed it over to them but she understood it was going to get assessed not scrapped.
The car also had personal belongings in it, e.g. a radio which belonged to me amongst other things along with a disability tax disc - are these items classed as stolen now?

Any legal advice/previous experiences would be very grateful?

Thanks

Hintza

Who's insurance company have dealing with it? Yours or the guy that hit your mother?

At the end of the day it should not have been scrapped yet and you need to kick up a fuss. Legally I'm not sure where you stand but I suspect you might have case, but you need check that out.

Not much help I'm afraid.

noons

My mother went through her insurance company but apparently the guy who hit her insurance company is disputing the damage done to the car. My mothers insurance company is claiming over £900 worth of damage when my mum says it was only the back bumper which was damaged.

BenL

The boot floor will probably be crumpled up.

Maybe damage to the spare tyre

Bumper will be a couple of £hundred for the part, then sprayed as well & fitted

The assesor will need to be paid.

The insurance company will need to claim back for the hire car as well.

The hire car shouldn't be handed back until a cheque is in your mums hand, even then I have had a few extra days with a claim of mine as you need a car to go and buy a car.

Claim can easily get to £900.

You should be told where you can go collect your belongings from, again you would probably need the hire car to get to this place. I had to do nearly 100 mile round trip to where my car was being held at UK Assistance.