Hit and Run Woes!

bigjav

Last Friday I was the victim of a hit and run accident, well sort of. Long story short my car was struck by another vehicle who was hit from behind. We all got out and began to exchange information when the police showed up and told us to move off the motorway. I only managed to get the name of the driver and make and model of the vehicle at fault, before he drove off and vanished. The traffic police also vanished, and when I spoke to the police, there is no record of them attending the accident????

I have damage to rear bumper and tailgate I have suffered a broken ankle from the collision but my insurance company are saying they cannot claim the car that hit me as she was not at fault.

What I need to know is if there is any way i can trace a driver just by his name and make/model/colour of his car? And also where I stand with insurance. I thought I would just claim the car that hit me regardless?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Crabman

The police are good at losing records aren't they. I made a 999 call last week to report a maniac driving at what seemed like double the speed everyone else was doing and who almost collided with my vehicle. Upon getting home and contacting the police there was no sign of the 999 call and I've contact the 4 neighbouring forces who also have no record of the call. I'm left wondering whether I dreamt up the incident!

I think a formal complaint to police or IPCC would be in order if they left an injured victim at the side of the road and apparently failed in their duty of care. The police vehicles used on motorways tend to have in-car video which may help but time is of the essence. Wouldn't want them to "lose" the video records too...

I'm not understanding how the insurance company can claim that the other driver is not at fault when they don't even have their details yet. If I were you I'd see a recommended solicitor for your personal injury claim as that is probably the easiest way to get things moving. Do you have the legal add-on to your car insurance? If so, get in touch with them.

dacouch

http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Services/en/Accidents+in+the+UK/Untraced+Drivers+Agreement/Untraced+Driver+FAQs.htm

http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Services/en/Accidents+in+the+UK/Untraced+Drivers+Agreement/Untraced+Agreement.htm

verybigchris

Apologies if this sounds like a stupid question, but are you sure it was traffic police that stopped, and not Highways Agency "Traffic Officers".

There are a lot of Highways Agency vehicles on the motorways that are painted in a very similar way to police cars (presumably to scare people into not speeding) like this one:

the182guy

verybigchris wrote: »

Apologies if this sounds like a stupid question, but are you sure it was traffic police that stopped, and not Highways Agency "Traffic Officers".

There are a lot of Highways Agency vehicles on the motorways that are painted in a very similar way to police cars (presumably to scare people into not speeding) like this one:

Hope it wasn't them because according to their website:

highways.gov.uk wrote:

Highways Agency Traffic Officers


Who are we?

We are there to help you if you breakdown or are involved in a collision or incident.

DaveMacD

Sorry to hear about your accident.

First up, the advice to get off the motorway was probably the main reason you're here to tell us about your problem. Never a good idea to hang about on the motorway unless you're well over on the hard shoulder, and even then, it's best avoided. People start gawping, and before you know it, another accident.

Regarding your injury. The Police should have been called since an injury was involved, and that being the case, they would be obliged to attend. I know at the time you might not have felt that sore, but still, a point to remember in case you ever see something similar. As posted above, it's likely it was a VOSA vehicle that stopped. Even so, bit of a c*ck up on their part if it was.

Regarding your claim. You aren't claiming the person who hit you, since they managed to stop.. It was the person behind who failed to stop in time, causing the shunt. What might be possible is if your insurance company try to contact the company insuring the person in the middle, and ask for the details of who they are claiming against. It shouldn't be that tricky for them to assist, especially if it is done officially.

maninthestreet

An injury claim like you have cannot be declined on the basis the 3rd party was not at fault - that's why we all have to have car insurance in the first place.
Exactly which driver do you have the details of? The sriver of the car that actually hit you, or the driver of the car that hit the car behind you?