Someone just hit my car-where do I go from here?

schoolrunmum

Not a huge lot of experience in these matters so any advice of how to proceed appreciated.
I was dropping daughter at stables-road is about 75m long, unmade mix of stones/gravel/mud/dirt.I headed straight down the track towards car park, and to the left a car emerged from a driveway rather quickly. I stopped-he didn't....he braked hard but couldn't grip on the gravelly track and took out my headlamp/dented the wing.
We swapped names/addresses and he mentioned he may not want to involve insurers. SO, what do I do now? Tell my insurance anyway? Get quotes for repair?

What if he changes his tune after the event and says I hit him?

maninthestreet

Report this to your insurance company. Car drivers who are involved in accidents but tell the other driver that don't want to involve insurance companies may not be insured.

Wig

more likely he is insured and wants to settle 'out of court' so to speak.

If you report to your insurers,,, both you and the other guy will be losers, the insurance always win. But not to report it to the insurer would be witholding information that you should give to your insurer.

But realistically unless you go with the other guy straight away to get a quote and he hands over the cash there and then it's probably not a good idea to trust them.

kev225

Wig wrote: »

unless you go with the other guy straight away to get a quote and he hands over the cash there and then it's probably not a good idea to trust them.

For future reference always get pictures, witnesses, authority involvement if possible and secretly record them admitting what happened.

Once that's sorted people would be unlikely to change their tune.

Sgt_Pepper_2

kev225 wrote: »

For future reference always get pictures, witnesses, authority involvement if possible and secretly record them admitting what happened.

Once that's sorted people would be unlikely to change their tune.

Damage only so you'd be lucky to get the police there.

What he the other driver takes your other advice and denies it happened?

kev225

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

Damage only so you'd be lucky to get the police there.

What he the other driver takes your other advice and denies it happened?

Different situation, The other driver is at fault here.

londonTiger

Incidentally I just had a minor scrape a few minus ago. bloody land rover drive just reversed in traffic for some reason, I think he wanted to reverse park.. Luckily I slammed on the horn hard and stopped him on his track, his toeing connector just hit my number plate and cracked it a but, other than that no damage.

It's hard to prove that someone reversed into you without witnesses which I didn't have all the other cars drove off as soon as they got green lighted, you have to rely on the other drivers honesty and if they decide to not play ball and claim I drove into them then you're heading for trouble.

Plus a number plate only costs £15 and mine already has water damage and due a replacement (could be MOT fail).

here's what I would do in an incident. Keep a pen & paper in your car to take details down, everyone goes through gadgets like mad, if you have an old digital camera keep that in your car..

DO NOT use your smartphone for taking down details or taking pictures..

Put your smartphone on sound recorder mode and record the entire conversation discreetly, as soon as the accident happens take your smartphone out, put on sound recorder and then get out of the car. But do it in a discrete manner so that it does not become obvious that you are recording.

Make sure you record them confirming their name, registration and taking responsibility of the damage..

it might sound a weird way of talking but say it out loud, say "is that your registration mate JL56 JLO" get them to verbally say yes, do the same to their name, pretend like you can't hear or understand so they speak louder and clearly.

If you don't keep a camera in your car, only take pictures after you've recorded the conversations, that's more important. After youve got your verbal proof, then you can take all the pics you want.

Sgt_Pepper_2

londonTiger wrote: »

Incidentally I just had a minor scrape a few minus ago. bloody land rover drive just reversed in traffic for some reason, I think he wanted to reverse park.. Luckily I slammed on the horn hard and stopped him on his track, his toeing connector just hit my number plate and cracked it a but, other than that no damage.

It's hard to prove that someone reversed into you without witnesses which I didn't have all the other cars drove off as soon as they got green lighted, you have to rely on the other drivers honesty and if they decide to not play ball and claim I drove into them then you're heading for trouble.

Plus a number plate only costs £15 and mine already has water damage and due a replacement (could be MOT fail).

here's what I would do in an incident. Keep a pen & paper in your car to take details down, everyone goes through gadgets like mad, if you have an old digital camera keep that in your car..

DO NOT use your smartphone for taking down details or taking pictures..

Put your smartphone on sound recorder mode and record the entire conversation discreetly, as soon as the accident happens take your smartphone out, put on sound recorder and then get out of the car. But do it in a discrete manner so that it does not become obvious that you are recording.

Make sure you record them confirming their name, registration and taking responsibility of the damage..

it might sound a weird way of talking but say it out loud, say "is that your registration mate JL56 JLO" get them to verbally say yes, do the same to their name, pretend like you can't hear or understand so they speak louder and clearly.

If you don't keep a camera in your car, only take pictures after you've recorded the conversations, that's more important. After youve got your verbal proof, then you can take all the pics you want.

And this is what you did tonight?

McKneff

Stop..............

This is what you do.

Ring your insurance company, tell them of the incident and tell them it is for information only for the moment.

Contact his insurance company and tell them that you want to deal directly with them (confirm that the other party has admitted liability) The other company should give you instructions to take your car to a garage, as you are the innocent party, you can take your car to any garage you want to. The garage will inform the Insurance company of the quote, and then tell them to go ahead with it. The garage will contact you to book your car in. Your car gets mended, you pick it up, the insurance company pay the garage directly. It is far simpler that way, no messeing about with NCD losing then having to reclaim it back. If you need a hire car, the insurance company should offer this to you also.
It is by far the quickest and easiest. Ive been there twice in two years. I think my car was an accident magnet, and I wasnt even in it both times.

schoolrunmum

Thanks McKneff, I have now told my insurers, and they are sitting on it while I decide what to do. I have booked it in at local garage for a quick n dirty quote so I can get back to the guy and see if he wants to settle out of court so to speak....
I worry he will change his tune when I contact him though and try to say we hit each other. I had my 14 year old in the car so she will confirm we had stopped moving, however there were no other witnesses. He was also driving barefoot !!!!
I did take photos once he had left, of the damage, the general scene, and the skid mark where I had braked sharply..

kev225

schoolrunmum wrote: »

I had my 14 year old in the car so she will confirm we had stopped moving

Unfortunately she won't count as an independent witness.

Good luck