Car accident

zeh004

Hi

I desperately need your help.

I was involved in the car accident (I’m the driver) a few weeks ago. In summary, a council street cleaning van pulled away from the traffic lights and turned left. I followed. However as I came around the corner, the street van had stopped suddenly due to a lorry pulling out in front of him. I didn’t have much time to react as I had just come around the corner. I managed to pull away but the right corner of my car hit the street cleaner. The damage was not very bad - but due to the nature of the vehicle hit (reinforced steel) my air bags went off. At first the street cleaner didn’t actually realised that I had hit his vehicle. Instead he actual got out of him vehicle to argue with the lorry driver. 30 sec later he realised what had happened. I have informed my insurance company and now they are stating that I'm liable.

Can the driver who was behind always be at fault?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

maninthestreet

From your description of the accident, you seem to be at fault - you weren't driving such that you could stop in the distance you could see to be clear, i.e as far as the back of the council street cleaning van in front of you.

Dick_Van_Dyke

Of course you are liable
Who else would to be to blame here
It was obviously not that sudden as the large truck managed to stop. You clearly werent paying attention and maintaining distance to allow you to perform an emergency stop.

JQ.

I'm afraid you are at fault. If you been further back from the vehicle in front you would have not have hit it, as you would have had more time to react. That is why the car behind is generally considered at fault, there are some exceptions.

CHR15

You can't drive into a stationary object...... and blame the object for your collision.

To coin a phrase which WILL surface here soon (it always does so I will get in first)...... "what if it was a child crossing the road??" :)

exup

usually the only time the vehicle behimd is not at fault is if the vehicle infront moved into their path (such as suddenly changing lanes) without giving the driver enough time to react. But you are supposed to leave enough room infront of your vehicle to be able to stop in the distance you can see ahead to be clear. If the view ahead is blocked (by walls or trees) then your speed needs to be reduced accordingly. Even following another vehicle it is expected to leave your stopping distance (which is about 1ft per mile per hour) which generally equates to 2 seconds gap (hence the 2 second rule).

Im afraid that as you were following the street cleaning vehicle around the corner you will be held liable - sorry

LandyAndy

CHR15 wrote: »

You can't drive into a stationary object...... and blame the object for your collision.

To coin a phrase which WILL surface here soon (it always does so I will get in first)...... "what if it was a child crossing the road??" :)

Serve it right. It should have been at school.;)

bezzza

If you had just come round the corner, how fast can you have been going? Surely you must have been able to stop although judging from your description you chose to try and go round vehicle rather than do an emergency stop. As people on this forum already know a few weeks ago a car came from round the corner after failing to stop at give way, mounted pavement and smashed into my parked car and then failed to stop - would you have said that was MY fault as I had parked my car 10m past the give way and she would not have had time to stop. Drivers really need to take responsibility - what if there had been a parked car just round the corner, an ice cream van on his rounds, a fire engine on an emergency call? Drive slower, with more care and awareness and use your brakes!

ukjoel

I would argue the point. Lorry should have some liability. He pulled out forcing an emergency stop and caused the crash. If he drove into the path of oncoming traffic then he is partly to blame. Let insurance company sort it out.

Similar thing happened a while ago to me - bloke dropped a ladder on Motorway.

I stopped, car behind me stopped, bloke behind him didint.
My insurance didnt bother with car that hit me but went for one behind them and they in turn went after insurance company for ladder dropper who was caught a mile or two down the road.

neilmcl

With your situation the accident was probably inevitable. In the OP's case the accident could have easily been avoided had they been paying attention and driving at a safe distance.

gsmmad

you are a million percent faulty, why were you following so close, you didnt allow yourself enough space, you have the duty to allow your self enough space and if you couldnt see into the road properly maybe you should have entered slower,

no matter how i go about this, im sorry but you are the guilty party