Crash in council owened car park

[Deleted User]

Should have just ran them over. Teach em for walking down ramp that was for cars going up only.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Sta1234 wrote: »

Hi looking for some advice. This morning I parked in a council owned multi storey car park. It was one those that has a circular rising ramp. On approaching the last bend two pedestriansappeared out of nowhere walking down the ramp, I swerved to avoid them crashingmy near side into the wall. My brand newcar has sustained significant damage of a crushed wheel arch, many deepscratches, buckled wheel, dented alloys and several dents. At the bottom entrance, throughout the rampand at top of ramp it clearly states “no pedestrian access, no walking, noaccess to pedestrians”.

I contacted the council to report what happened, and was putthrough to the Insurance Dept. They saidthey were not liable for my accident as they do not control where pedestrianswalk. There is no CCTV however they have a security guard who “walks round fora bit then goes elsewhere”. I explained that I made a split second decision to avoidmowing these people down, they advised me I should have braked just as youwould on a public highway. I explained thatI have taken photos as the wall I hit clearly has been damaged many timesbefore, I was told these marks were caused by boy racers, there is no CCTV andadvised me to contact the insurance company.
I contacted my insurance company who were less thanhelpful. They said I should have brakedand the chances of me finding the pedestrians to admit they were in the wrongis zero. I explained that these people came out of nowhere and I do not havesuper powers that allow me to see round corners. I was told it was my fault and I could make a fault claim.

I certainly wasn’t speeding as the ramp was to narrow and Iknow I wasn’t too close to the wall or my wing mirror would have hit and it remainsundamaged. I know in hindsight I shouldhave braked but my priority was avoiding hitting the pedestrians and when youhave to react it is a split second decision and I obviously made the wrong one. I feel it should be the councils responsibility,as I know other similar car parks I have used have CCTV and if pedestrians arefound wandering on these ramps the security guard shouts at them over a tannoy. I feel so angry that I’m left picking up thebill because these inconsiderate pedestrians disobeyed the signs as they couldn’tbothered to use the stairs or lift. I knowI can go through insurance company but I have 10 years no claims, never had orbeen in accident before and the fact I’ve had to save a long long time to purchasethis car for £15,000 and claiming through insurance will bump it next year.

Just wondered if anyone has had a similar experience or ifthere is anyone else could contact, any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

You need to take responsibility for your own actions.


wo what there ped's there, your own lack of driving stadards caused it, its going to haunt you for 5 years so suck it up and move on.


ginger bob quotes are edited by people who want to show humor and wit, no need to be rude.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

AdrianC wrote: »

Umm, GingerBob wasn't the OP...

multi quote is broken in my browser again lol it left out half of the post and needed to get out and do some washing up so didnt check. oops

Sta1234

I have learnt my lesson next time I use an unfamiliar car park I will ensure I drive at 2mph. Not sure the council will try and claim damages as they didn't ask for my details and no CCTV, the car park is virtually derelict anyway so doubt council care. On reflection I admit full responsibility as I made wrong decision by not braking, although remain annoyed at the peds being a contributing factor. Thanks all for your advice

Quiet_Spark

Sta1234 wrote: »

I have learnt my lesson next time I use an unfamiliar car park I will ensure I drive at 2mph. Not sure the council will try and claim damages as they didn't ask for my details and no CCTV, the car park is virtually derelict anyway so doubt council care. On reflection I admit full responsibility as I made wrong decision by not braking, although remain annoyed at the peds being a contributing factor. Thanks all for your advice

How were the pedestrians a contributory factor in you making the wrong decision?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Quiet_Spark wrote: »

How were the pedestrians a contributory factor in you making the wrong decision?

if you know somewhere well (not saying op does just hypothetical here) and know that peds are not supposed to be in that area and haven't been on past experiences in visitation to a place, then it could come as surprise when your faced with a ped in an area that they shouldn't be. its part complacency and part surprise.


personally I try and stick to walk ways etc in these type of car parks as people ignore the slow signs and 5MPH marks (in the ones ive been have 5mph limits) on the road, and drive like they would in a normal open air carpark which is a given that either your going get hit or have a close call.


seems like OP was faced with a pair of pedestrians that took a shortcut, and with complacency and surprise plus speed wrecked his car, but the fact remain he wrecked his car because of his own driving standard, we all would love to shift blame onto others if there was a glimmer of chance they did wrong. even if the OP did have the names and addresses of the persons walking down the ramp, it wouldnt be their fault he crashed into the wall, his own actions caused him to hit the wall.


same in this scenario:
Bob drives B road everyday at 4 am, it really quiet he will rarely see a car on this road, Bob does the speed limit 60MPH, on this day Bob is driving the same rout he has taken many times before seeing no one on the rout, but this time, there a drunk farmer walking down the road drunk as a skunk, as bob comes round the bend the drunk is walking to the side of the road towards bob, bob slams his anchors on and put his car into the banking avoiding a fatality, Bobs furious he smashed his car up, because the farmer is drunk and shouldn't have been walking about at this time of the morning in that state, Bob is convinced that because the farmer was drunk as a skunk and a bit wobbly on his feet, that this caused him to crash, but is it really the drunk farmers fault he crashed?, or is it Bobs fault for getting a little too comfortable and complacent on this road? he may have travelled within the speed limit, he certainly wasn't expecting to see a pedestrian there, but the fact remains Bob wasn't paying 100% attention to the road, Bob lost control of his car in panic its bobs fault he put his car into a banking on the side of the road.

AdrianC

Sta1234 wrote: »

I have learnt my lesson next time I use an unfamiliar car park I will ensure I drive at 2mph.

You clearly haven't, because this is nothing to do with a carpark, whether it's familiar or not. You ALWAYS drive at a speed such that you can stop in the distance you can SEE to be clear. I don't care if you know what's round the bend or not - because unless you can SEE it, you're only ASSUMING that there's nothing there.

topdaddy_2

GingerBob wrote: »

Don't amend other people's posts, just because you disagree with them. It's ill mannered and pretty bloody childish as well.

What a muppet^.

Nodding_Donkey

Poor old Bob, first he gets his posts misquoted now he trying to mowdown drunk farmers. Can his week get any worse?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

Poor old Bob, first he gets his posts misquoted now he trying to mowdown drunk farmers. Can his week get any worse?

his manure pile just caught his barn on fire.