Hit and Run by Horse and Cart. What happens now?

alexhutch46

Hi, ok so here is the situation:

I was driving down a narrow road (where only one car can pass at a time; there is no give way signs). As I turn the corner, I notice two rag-and-bone men in a horse and cart coming towards me. So I stop. I'm about to reverse up the road but the men keep coming. I watch one of them open his gormless mouth as they scrape the entire side of my car from bonnet to tail with the side of their cart and then KEEP DRIVING!!! I jump straight out of the car and scream come back! but the passenger just turns around laughing and the driver keeps driving. I couldn't turn around to follow them because the road is too narrow to perform a 3 point turn. Also, at the end of the road there is a major junction so i couldn't perform a u turn and come back up the road to chase them. There were no witnesses and I didn't manage to take a photo of the men before they turned the corner. I am reporting it to the police tomorrow as well as taking it to the body shop.

I think the worst thing about this whole ordeal is the fact that I feel completely helpless with all my friends and family saying "well thats those type of people for you" "you won't find them". WHAT?! Its not my fault some idiots scraped a horse and cart against my car. Why should I pay?! Why are these people never held liable for their actions?! Why must I conform to a different set of rules to them?!

Requesting information about liability and how I could go about not paying the full price to fix a massive gash (although all damage is cosmetic) from the top to the tail of my car.

I look forward to reading your responses.

Quentin

See what a back street garage will charge.

Don't involve your insurance unless it is cost effective to make a claim (which will be registered as a fault claim, cost your excess and impact your NCD unless it's protected).

Do dummy quotes online with this fault claim and reduce your NCD to see how much this impacts the premium.

dacouch

Good luck with that

Just_Some_Guy

You have to report accidents to the police in person at the cop shop as soon as is practicable after the accident. If you dither they'll try and do you for failing to report.

If I was going to be driving there again I'd get a dashcam just in case they're still menacing the streets.

BertTheRaccoon

Just absorb the costs of this yourself

You're never going to establish who the !!!!!! are, they won't have insurance or a formal address and you would likely suffer retaliation if you did try something.

olly300

Just_Some_Guy wrote: »

You have to report accidents to the police in person at the cop shop as soon as is practicable after the accident. If you dither they'll try and do you for failing to report.

If I was going to be driving there again I'd get a dashcam just in case they're still menacing the streets.

Rubbish - it's a crime against property and due to the nature of the property they aren't interested.

They probably won't even record it as they aren't going to go and pick up some gypsies.

The OP needs to find a garage that does repairs and pay for it themselves.