levi: la vida loca

Levi-

and Edwink just to clarify again (sorry)... I should let my insurance know tomorrow about it even though I won't be making a claim via them? I am with Churchill fully comp. xx

Westie983

you only pay your excess if its not your fault if they dont have insurance or they deny liabiity, if the accident wasn't your fault, which it clearly wasn't and you have witnesses then the accident causer *sp insurance pays out for your repairs.. so you shouldn't have to pay anything. `~ I say shouldn't as some insurance companies make you pay your excess to repair the car quicker then this is refunded back to you when the insurance pays out. The reason this route is taken is otherwise you car may not get fixed if the bus company or any other accident causer *sp drags their heels in getting the right information.

I speak from experience when someone went into the back of my car at a traffic light, so was obvious it wasn't my fault, and I had to pay out to get the car fixed while the insurance companies fought it out, which the man who caused the accident was trying to say that I broke too early and that caused him to go into the back of me (* I stopped at a amber traffic light and he didnt expect me too and said I should have carried on)

fingers crossed with the witnesses and the camera it won't come to this and you can just let the truth come out, dont put your hand in your pocket just yet, play on the fact it wasn't your fault and you dont have the funds to repair your car when it wasn't your fault, dont forget thats why we have insurances to cover such issues...

good luck with the complaint.. hope you get some recognition, for the appalling behaviour you faced

liltdiddylilt

Don't notify your insurance company until you are in the process of getting it fixed by his hun. It won\t the the drivers own insurance but the companies. And yes he may be trained to blame you but that only holds water when cameras and eyewitnesses don't back you up.

No, the excess is only if YOU are making a claim on YOUR insurance for an accident which was either your fault, or a hit and run, or an accident with a non-insured driver... I am pretty sure Churchill cover the excess on non-insured drivers now too not that that matters but just so you know.

I would get on the dreaded phone tomorrow hun and speak to an actual person and ask for insurance details. If they refuse them (which they won't), you can offer the police get involved with it as a hit and run make it your lucky third call that makes it much easier eh xx

Westie983

Yes let your insurance company know you have been in a accident, their claim handlers will go through the cause of the accident and they will scribe it down and take all details then they will liaise with the insurance company the bus company use, and go from there, It can't hurt to try and contact TFL and ask them who their insurances is with as you are putting in a claim for a damage car from an accident where you were no the one at fault...

Levi-

but won't they wonder why we didn't swap insurance details at the time?
and if they make me cough up in advance i literally can't because i have no spare money and none on credit lines cos they are all maxed.

liltdiddylilt

Hence why I said don't... until you've sorted out the insurance details!!!

Westie983

ah okay didnt realise you didn't exchange details, stick with what Lilty has said then, wait till you have the details...

Levi-

no we didn't.. because the damage seemed too minor (bus just a small scratch) and for me.. i was too worried about the excess i said i didn't want to involve my insurance and would just leave it.. i didn't understand how it worked.. anyway.. can trace him via the complaint to TfL (as he also logged the incident with his bus company at the time)..so it will iron out in the end.. maybe they will pay for me to have a whole new set of alloys need those!

greyfox

Oh, Sweetie, you really didn't need that did you? At least neither of you were hurt - but must have been horrible for you both.

As far as insurance stuff goes, might be worth reading this http://www.churchill.com/car-insurance/claims

GF x

hummingbird

So sorry to hear this has happened, what a :mad: but so glad to hear that neither of you were hurt. Hope the shock is wearing off a bit - it takes a while. Also can't believe how awful those passengers were, and the bus driver - and automatically blaming you too.

If you can, while it's all still fresh in your mind, jot down exactly what happened, what you did, signals (or lack of) what was said etc etc. Also do any drawings of vehicle positionings etc etc. Even though there is all the camera evidence (which is brilliant) and witnesses. I've had experience of this before and it can be hard to remember all the details later on. You may not need this but it's good to get it all on paper just in case.

Big hugs to you & LL xxxxx