Accidental damage to a windscreen with an umbrella - can I get my money back?

Senior_Moment

Ok, so this was a one in a million accident. Whilst getting out of a friend's car I managed to somehow knock the button on my umbrella which whilst not opening up, rocketed to its full length and ended up cracking the windscreen - one hell of a crack! Obviously I offered to pay for the damage, particularly as they only have third party, fire and theft cover, but is there any way I can claim the cost of the replacement windscreen back? It seems unlikely that I can, but does anyone know of any loopholes/little known clauses which would mean that I can? p.s. I'm horrified at the speed the umbrella opens - it could be very dangerous if it hit someone.

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I think you already know the answer to this.

opinions4u

Senior_Moment wrote: »

is there any way I can claim the cost of the replacement windscreen back?

Do you have any sort of personal liability insurance? Unlikely. I think most household policies include it, but only in your capacity as homeowner.

It seems unlikely that I can, but does anyone know of any loopholes/little known clauses which would mean that I can?

Perhaps refusing to pay and asking your friend to sue you for the money would mean a legal expense policy that you may have would defend you against the action and pay out if you lost.

I'm horrified at the speed the umbrella opens - it could be very dangerous if it hit someone.

You could sue the umbrella company for damages then.

Gut feeling is to pay up and move on!

mikey72

Depending on the car, if they get it done locally for £100 or so, you could find any excess you would have is more than the cost anyway.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3006866

geri1965_2

opinions4u wrote: »

Do you have any sort of personal liability insurance? Unlikely. I think most household policies include it, but only in your capacity as homeowner.

Perhaps refusing to pay and asking your friend to sue you for the money would mean a legal expense policy that you may have would defend you against the action and pay out if you lost.

You could sue the umbrella company for damages then.

Gut feeling is to pay up and move on!

Personal liability is usually covered under household contents, not buildings. Legal expenses would help the OP in pursuing a claim against someone else, not dealing with a claim made against them (this is what the personal liability section is for).

For example, if I crashed into a car on my pushbike, the owners of the car could pursue me for the cost of damages and my household insurers would deal with it for me.

wannabie

Lol what sort of umbrella was it?

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mikey72 wrote: »

Depending on the car, if they get it done locally for £100 or so, you could find any excess you would have is more than the cost anyway.

Excess ?

magpiecottage

Personal liability is normally thrown in to household policies. It may not have an excess either.

It is worth checking your contents insurance policy if you have one but as others have said, the car owner would need to make a claim against you. You would then need to pass on their letter, unanswered, to your insurers.