Not convinced by damage caused in accident

t00tsieroll

My car went into the back of a Y reg today. The other driver had slowed down from reacting to the car in front of him. I braked hard as well, but clearly not enough, and bumped him just as my car was coming to a halt (0.5 sec more and it would have been fine). My car looked fine, and the back of his too (lots of scratches but I really don't think I had anything to do with it). The other driver then showed me both ends of his bumper, a little loose. OK, it's clearly my fault for hitting him, but how would I know if his loose bumper was the result of the accident? I do think it was such a slight bump - my baby in the back didn't even bother crying!

Anihilator

You can't but as you hit him you dont really have much chance of escaping liabiility for it.

Viper_7

A body shop could possible tell if the loose bumper was the cause of the collision, or just wear and tear and just loose (old vehicle) and yes the claimant trying it on, such as the scratches... small head on collisions don't cause scratches.

However it's a pretty grey area as as you ran into the back of them, one can't really argue too much, but your insurance company may well do so on your behalf to reduce the amount it will pay out
Be it a small pay out by your insurance or a larger one, it's still a fault claim and will count as such.

CHR15

Viper_7 wrote: »

A body shop could possible tell if the loose bumper was the cause of the collision,

I would guess driving too close to the car in front and not stopping in time was the cause of the collision. :cool::cool:

plane_boy2000

To be honest its academic - you drove in the back of him - its your fault.

Chances are he will claim for whiplash anyway, so you are not going to get out of a claim weather its for bodywork damage or not.

Insurance co are unlikely to defend your claim as driving in the back of someone is black and white - put it down to experience and dont drive so close next time!

Viper_7

CHR15 wrote: »

I would guess driving too close to the car in front and not stopping in time was the cause of the collision. :cool::cool:

There is always one....

Can usually tell what damage was caused by a collision and what was not.
then you can have them for fraud.

Rolandtheroadie

If bumper mounts were corroded and snapped with the minor impact due to the fact they were corroded, would the person not still be entitled to have the damage caused by someone else repaired?

t00tsieroll

Thanks for the insight. We'll see what happens I suppose. I've never hit anyone before, so am rather upset. Should I ring my insurance company anyway or just wait till their insurance contact me? Is there anyway not to get my insurance company involved, i.e. simply pay cash to the other driver for his damaged bumper? I offered to (not really thinking clearly, whether he was trying to milk the situation), but he said 'it depends what insurance says, and whether the floor is also affected!'

ozvaldinho

t00tsieroll wrote: »

- my baby in the back didn't even bother crying!

I'd take this as a warning that your lack of driving skills are putting your child's life at risk.

You will have to pay to restore the car to the condition it was in before the accident; it sounds like the guy will try to get his bumper fixed and his paint touched up at your expense. Your insurance will pay for it and your premiums may rise.

anewman

With so many people following so close I wonder if instead of scrapping my car I should slam the anchors on and get some nice compo for my whiplash to buy me a new car :j :D:D:D :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Quentin

t00tsieroll wrote: »

Should I ring my insurance company anyway or just wait till their insurance contact me? Is there anyway not to get my insurance company involved, i.e. simply pay cash to the other driver for his damaged bumper? I offered to (not really thinking clearly, whether he was trying to milk the situation), but he said 'it depends what insurance says, and whether the floor is also affected!'

You are bound by your policy to inform your insurer of all incidents you are involved in whether or not a claim is involved, so yes, you should contact your insurer and inform them about this.

Pass on any corespondence you get unanswered to your insurer to deal with.

Don't offer cash to settle this unless you know what you are doing, and don't admit liability, just leave it to your insurers to sort out.

After the matter is concluded you can reimburse your insurer the costs they have incurred over the incient to retain your NCB, assuming that is why you don't want your insurer involved.