Sideswiped By HGV

Jarles

Could anyone offer a little advice pls?

Yesterday Morning on the M6 south near the M56 turn off I was clipped by a HGV, he changed lane and caught my rear near side bumber which then caused me to loose control and spin into the hard shoulder & barrier.

Worst of all he didn't stop, he just tootled off down the M6.

Police have said they think it will be on CCTV but will struggle to read reg plate because of the heavy rain at the time but are hoping that maybe the company name could be seen.

Anyway the car is looking like its a write off, will find out later today, and I'm a little sore with numerous aches and pains, my insurance asked me if I was injured and asked to pass me on to a claim company, I said I would look into it, I just want to know if that is the best way to go about it? Or do I need to get a solicitor involved who is not linked to my insurance? as it is likely that the HGV won't be tracked down.

Weird_Nev

I think this kind of claim where the driver cannot be identified would normally be handled by the motoring insurance bureau.

Hope you're recovering well anyway. Metal can be replaced.
I wouldn't get too hasty getting management companies involved, or solicitors. Leave it in the hands of the insurance and polcie for now. If no driver is identified (And without witnesses this seems unlikely) then the MIB pay out, but may not cover lots of additional costs.

photome

A similar thing happened to me a few years back.

It was a Van that side swiped me, didnt do so much damage, (about £600) but didnt stop.

I got the registartion number and company name from the Van.

The company in question got the drivers details and he denied all knowledge!!!!!

I dont think they ever paid up

Hpe you have better luck

interstellaflyer

photome wrote: »

The company in question got the drivers details and he denied all knowledge!!!!!

I dont think they ever paid up

Hpe you have better luck

If it is on CCTV and the truck is logo'd up them I doubt they could deny any knowledge in this case, it shouldn't be difficult to trace the driver, even without the registration number.

Iceweasel

It is quite possible that the truck driver, although obviously at fault, might have felt or heard nothing at all.

Irresponsible and careless yes - but perhaps totally unaware of the results of his actions.

With all the CCTV cameras we have in this country and the state-of-art technology available for image enhancement - they ought to be able to identify the vehicle.

interstellaflyer

Iceweasel wrote: »

It is quite possible that the truck driver, although obviously at fault, might have felt or heard nothing at all.

Irresponsible and careless yes - but perhaps totally unaware of the results of his actions.

Yes, I heard this mentioned on some of those fly on the wall Traffic Cop programs.

arcon5

photome wrote: »

A similar thing happened to me a few years back.

It was a Van that side swiped me, didnt do so much damage, (about £600) but didnt stop.

I got the registartion number and company name from the Van.

The company in question got the drivers details and he denied all knowledge!!!!!

I dont think they ever paid up

Hpe you have better luck

Surely the company vehicle would have damage impact on it?

bugslet

If it was a van, I would have thought so.

In the OP's instance, if it part of the trailer that hit the car, then it could easily show minimal damage and if it's an old trailer it will have been knocked about a bit anyway.

Even if you hit something with the cab, the driver might not feel the impact, but there should be damage evident on the paintwork.

Iceweasel

arcon5 wrote: »

Surely the company vehicle would have damage impact on it?

A van almost certainly would - but a big HGV trailer might well show no obvious evidence of contact with the probably plastic bumper of a car.

Most trailers will have numerous paint transfer scuff marks from parking at loading bays etc.

Some truck drivers 'park by feel' up to rubber buffers on a ramp.

bugslet

interstellaflyer wrote: »

If it is on CCTV and the truck is logo'd up them I doubt they could deny any knowledge in this case, it shouldn't be difficult to trace the driver, even without the registration number.

The majority of companies have trackers these days which can pinpoint where the truck is, we can tell where ours are and have been, very accurately.

cross post with Iceweasel - think we must have the same background!

Iceweasel

bugslet wrote: »

The majority of companies have trackers these days which can pinpoint where the truck is, we can tell where ours are and have been very accurately.

cross post with Iceweasel - think we must have the same background!

bugslet: Yes, I think we do share a transport industry insight.

While I'm not for a moment defending any bad driving by a truck driver, a lot of car drivers do not understand how little a truck driver can see regards what is going on close behind him.

The sign you some on some trucks saying 'If you can't see my mirrors, then I can't see you' is very true.

Jarles: I hope that you make a speedy recovery from your aches and pains and that the offending truck is found - but I feel sure that the fall-back safety net of the MIB will pick up the tab in the same way as they do for incidents involving drivers who are uninsured.