Road Accident Insurance Query

rgvkid

hi all,
the other week i was involved in an accident. When driving my motorbike past a queue of stationary traffic,a driver opened his car door,the result for me being a broken finger and stitches in same finger,and very sore other fingers.Was off work for a few days and just had quote to get bike fixed for £522.
The question is,this guy has quite a few vehicles(club owner) and his book-keeper is suggesting we do the money outwith the insurance to protect his no-claims etc.(the book-keeper is looking for me to come out with an amount,basically).
I have a witness to the accident,and the guy who opened the door has written me something stating that he was sitting in stationary traffic,didnt see me on the bike,opened his door,basically admitting liability.
so.....the question is how much do I hit him for?as i feel there is a lot to be said for getting a quick payout,as insurance can drag on and on even though he has admitted he was at fault.
many thanks

impy78

rgvkid wrote: »

hi all,
the other week i was involved in an accident. When driving my motorbike past a queue of stationary traffic,a driver opened his car door,the result for me being a broken finger and stitches in same finger,and very sore other fingers.Was off work for a few days and just had quote to get bike fixed for £522.
The question is,this guy has quite a few vehicles(club owner) and his book-keeper is suggesting we do the money outwith the insurance to protect his no-claims etc.(the book-keeper is looking for me to come out with an amount,basically).
I have a witness to the accident,and the guy who opened the door has written me something stating that he was sitting in stationary traffic,didnt see me on the bike,opened his door,basically admitting liability.
so.....the question is how much do I hit him for?as i feel there is a lot to be said for getting a quick payout,as insurance can drag on and on even though he has admitted he was at fault.
many thanks

I would go to the insurers, sounds far too dodgy to deal with yourself.

rgvkid

thanks,i was in an accident on a bike years ago where the driver was clearly at fault,and it still dragged on for a couple of years before i got money,i was just looking to avoid that so i can move on and forget about it.
cheers

mattymoo

Well the motorbike repairs and loss of earnings are easily quantifiable and these are called special damages. Easy to prove with invoices and wage slips etc.

The claim for the broken finger is trickier. This part of the claim is called general damages and you will be looking for an award to cover pain and suffering. Without access to recent claims "quantum" reports it is not really possible to give any advice on this thread as to its value (the quantum).

There are several factors to consider. Nature of the fracture with greenstick fractures being cheaper than compound fractures. Your occupation may have a bearing - piano players, surgeons, crafts people, artists etc rely on their fingers and long term problems may affect their earning potential. Long term problems include failure to heal / set correctly and early onset of arthritis.

If you have legal expenses cover on your policy you could ask them to prepare your claim. This would add legal costs (payable by the other driver) but that is not your problem.

From experience, many people say "lets not involve the insurers" but then when they see the costs mount up they quickly change their mind. As an example:-
Bike repairs (including vat, parts etc) = £2000
Loss of earnings say £500
Alternative transport costs - say £250
General damages for injury - say £2500

Gives a total of £5,250 and I am probably understating matters here. To settle for less, earlier is probably not going to do you any favours.

rgvkid

thanks for that,the loss of earnings is prob around the £1000 mark,plus the £500 for bike repairs,so anything else would be as you say for pain and suffering |(still doing both but not as much).
was thinking provisionally around the £3000 mark all in just to get a settlement and move on without having to deal with insurance etc.
i do have legal cover on my bike insurance policy,so this would certainly not be a problem.
thanks

Mini_John

rgvkid wrote: »

hi all,
the other week i was involved in an accident. When driving my motorbike past a queue of stationary traffic,a driver opened his car door,the result for me being a broken finger and stitches in same finger,and very sore other fingers.Was off work for a few days and just had quote to get bike fixed for £522.
The question is,this guy has quite a few vehicles(club owner) and his book-keeper is suggesting we do the money outwith the insurance to protect his no-claims etc.(the book-keeper is looking for me to come out with an amount,basically).
I have a witness to the accident,and the guy who opened the door has written me something stating that he was sitting in stationary traffic,didnt see me on the bike,opened his door,basically admitting liability.
so.....the question is how much do I hit him for?as i feel there is a lot to be said for getting a quick payout,as insurance can drag on and on even though he has admitted he was at fault.
many thanks

Having dealt with commercial claims before most fleet policies offer large discounts for being claim free. Probably looking at a posisble personal injury claim the owner is trying to save him some money. It all depends on your morals....if you have a witness and a third party admitting liability, and damage to your bike, you will have no problem making a claim on his policy. Best that way as you dont have to pay any excess and you will be treated very well. You can go to your insurer and they will recover the costs from the third party, but you may have to pay your excess. This will be recovered back and is usually waived if the third party has admitted liability though. However, you can claim personal injury for your broken finger, this could amount to thousands for a broken bone. But if you dont like the blame culture and the rising costs of insurance, then accep:rolleyes: t the highest amount you dare ask on a private matter!

lisyloo

the loss of earnings is prob around the £1000 mark

Don't know your situation (whether you are employed or self-employed) but my employer would have paid my wages out of their sick pay scheme and I would have lost nothing.

Are you sure you're employer is going to dock your wages (if you have one).

My employer wouldn't act any differently if it was a road traffic accident, self-inflicted or out of hands medical problem.

rgvkid

lisyloo wrote: »

Are you sure you're employer is going to dock your wages (if you have one).

fraid so,it is a small 4-man company who i havent been with for long,so sadly dont even have a contract as yet,so not much i can do regardijng him paying me money,although he says he will support me in any insurance claim.
cheers