Car accident involving broken lampost

booktownman

Hi - I'm looking for some advice concerning a car accident I had with a broken lampost.

I parked on a privately-developed (ie, not council-owned) retail park car park, next to a broken lamp post, maybe three feet tall.

The post wasn't cordoned off, marked in high-viz or surrounded by kerbing.

When I returned to the car, I took a phone call, then set off and - you guessed it - steered the car into the lampost.

The height of this thing made it completely invisible from inside the car.

I feel the owners of this site are at least partially responsible as the lampost was not marked or cordoned off.

I want to know if there are any laws - civil or otherwise - that I can use to hold them some way responsible for repair costs.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

BTM

hartcjhart

dear god I hope you are not another troll:mad:

please think of the children,you knew the post was there but still drove into it
should have gone to 'specsavers' while you were shopping

KillerWatt

So you noticed the post was approx 3ft tall and also noticed that it wasn't cordoned off so you obviously knew it was there in the first place.

You then get distracted by a phone call, and promptly drive in to the post you have already previously noticed to quite some degree by the sound of your description - the only person at fault is you I'm afraid.

You won't have been the first person to clump an obstacle that isn't easily seen from the drivers seat, and you certainly won't be the last.
Chalk it down to experience, and save the money you would have paid a brief for an unsuccessful claim for something else.

gordikin

....are you serious? If you drove into a 3 foot tall post it's your fault! Many supermarkets have them and they are not cordoned off etc. Think of a 3 foot tall child being knocked down...who would be to blame? I'm sure there has been research somewhere about accidents just after taking a mobile phone call

gordikin

booktownman wrote: »

Hi - I'm looking for some advice concerning a car accident I had with a broken lampost.

I parked on a privately-developed (ie, not council-owned) retail park car park, next to a broken lamp post, maybe three feet tall.

The post wasn't cordoned off, marked in high-viz or surrounded by kerbing.

When I returned to the car, I took a phone call, then set off and - you guessed it - steered the car into the lampost.

The height of this thing made it completely invisible from inside the car.

I feel the owners of this site are at least partially responsible as the lampost was not marked or cordoned off.

I want to know if there are any laws - civil or otherwise - that I can use to hold them some way responsible for repair costs.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

BTM

This just confirms that there is such a thing as a stupid question on MSE.

Lum

What exactly was the fault with the lamp post? Was it just the stub with the actual post and lamp removed, effectively turning it into a bollard?

Strider590

3ft you say?

Glad my Westfield kitcar wasn't parked next to you then!!!!!!! :mad:

Flearoy

Are you having a laugh? You saw the post, forgot about it, and then drove into it, and expect somebody else to take (some) responsibility? Bad luck I'm afraid. I'd have been to embarassed to tell anyone if I'd done this.

Sometimes there are things in the way.

Hammyman

There should be a way to report people like the OP to DVLA in the hope they get their licences removed.

Hammyman

booktownman wrote: »

The height of this thing made it completely invisible from inside the car.

I feel the owners of this site are at least partially responsible as the lampost was not marked or cordoned off.

For 16 years I drove vehicles up to 16ft high, 53ft long and 8ft wide. A car parked adjacent, directly in front and behind would be completely invisible from inside the lorry.

If I hit them, booktownman, could I claim they were partially responsible for parking in such a place that I could not see them?

In fact as it was possible to hide an entire single story building out of sight of the driver of a lorry, would the lorry driver be able to claim the building owner was partially responsible if he drove into it?

mcjordi

I cant see a claim tbh OP.. you could try but as you knew it was there then im sorry but its your own fault..