AA van backed into my car in queue at traffic lights

The_AA_Company_Representative

littlerock wrote: »

I was sitting in a traffic queue at the lights around 10 days ago behind an AA VW van. In front of the AA van, at the red lights at the front of the queue, was a car. The lights changed and the car did not move off. After a couple of minutes the owner of the stalled car, opened their passenger door and the passenger waved at the AA van. The driver of the AA van then got out and walked round to the stalled car.

Next thing to my horror was that the AA van started to roll backwards and it hit my car. The AA driver had forgotten to secure his hand brake. My handbrake was on so I did not roll into the car behind. I jumped out to take a photo on my phone but before I could do so, the car at the lights had managed to restart and moved off, as did the AA van who did not even realise he had rolled back into me.

I ran after him and told him what had happened and he stopped round the corner. He did not deny he had rolled back and hit my car. He filled in an accident report form of which he gave me a summarised copy. I asked to see what it said which was basically that his handbrake had failed to secure and his van had rolled back into my car hitting my number plate. My summarised copy of the incident excluded the accident description.

Afterwards looking at my car I could see rubber marks and some light scratches on the front of my car, at the same height at his bumper. There was nothing on it to my knowledge beforehand. This was not on his report.

In due course I was contacted by a risk assessor for the AA insurers who arranged for their subcontractor to call round to assess my car this morning. He sent me a text first thing saying he would be around between 10 and 11 am so I waited in. Next thing was a note in my front door saying he had inspected the car. I texted him to ask why he had not knocked and he then called me and rather sheepishly replied that he had knocked but got no reply, which I doubt. He did not text me to say he had no reply to his knock although I had arranged to be in this morning when he came.

He said he had fully inspected and documented the possible damage to my car which would be reported back to the main risk assessor by the end of the week.

To be honest the damage is not that significant. My only concern in all this is that no one at any stage has asked me for my account of what happened. Should they have? Obviously any claim will be on the AA's insurance who have not denied liability.

Hello, we'd really like the opportunity to address this. Please email the details including your full name and contact number to chat@theaa.com reference FOR191209 and we'll arrange for someone to contact you to discuss this. Kind Regards

Hintza

m0bov wrote: »

I would also report it to the Police as he failed to stop at the scene.

Not just OTT; totally absurd comment. The AA guy did not realise his van had rolled back and he stopped as soon as it was brought to his attention.

littlerock

Really it was an momentary oversight by the AA patrol, he stopped as soon as I addressed him and no major damage done. I do not want to take it any further and have no intention of involving the police. I shall not be contacting the AA. I consider the matter closed.

I WAS surprised that there was no stage in the accident reporting procedure where I was asked for my account of what happened or would have been shown the other person's account if I had not asked.

I have an interest in this process from another incident.My nephew, who is a chef, (who finds it hard to get car insurance due to his job) was sitting in his car in a traffic jam, when another car further back in the queue decided to pull out and drive up the hard shoulder to escape the jam.. Around the same time the car in front of him decided to do the same thing, they collided and hit his car. He had to get to work and left it with the breakdown service and his insurance company.

Two days later, he got a call from a firm which reclaims car write offs, asking for his registration papers, as they had been advised by his insurance company that they could take possession of his car as it was a write off. (It was a VW Golf). This was the first he knew about it.

It turned out both the other drivers had blamed each other and his insurance company had written his car off and signed it over to another company as a write off, before anyone at all had contacted him.

Surely in an accident where one party is at fault, even if they admit it, there should be an opportunity for the driver sitting in the car which was hit, to give his or her account? If you only ask the person who caused the accident, even if they own up, they have an incentive to minimise the accident and damage. In my nephew's case he was entirely the innocent victim but never asked for his account by any of the insurance companies involved, even his own, although his car was written off.

littlerock

Re AA : I do not wish to take it any further and consider the matter closed.

My query here was really about a general point of procedure in the reporting of no fault accidents, not about taking up my own case.

AdrianC

littlerock wrote: »

I WAS surprised that there was no stage in the accident reporting procedure where I was asked for my account of what happened

The other person stuck their hands up and said "Yep, all my fault". What would your account add to that which will change the liability?

I have an interest in this process from another incident.My nephew, who is a chef, (who finds it hard to get car insurance due to his job) was sitting in his car in a traffic jam, when another car further back in the queue decided to pull out and drive up the hard shoulder to escape the jam.. Around the same time the car in front of him decided to do the same thing, they collided and hit his car. He had to get to work and left it with the breakdown service and his insurance company.

Two days later, he got a call from a firm which reclaims car write offs, asking for his registration papers, as they had been advised by his insurance company that they could take possession of his car as it was a write off. (It was a VW Golf). This was the first he knew about it.

That's a very different kettle of fish. That's a question of the extent of the damage versus the value of the vehicle, not one of liability. He was claiming from his own insurer, so the Ts & Cs of the contract he has with them say they get to decide if his car's viable to repair or not. Liability is merely a question of who pays the final bill.

paddedjohn

OP, can you comps firm that you have informed your own insurance company haven't you?

Sicard

Yes, there's no requirement of an AA technician to be a good driver, only that they're competent at fixing motor vehicles.

Marvel1

m0bov wrote: »

I would also report it to the Police as he failed to stop at the scene.

Yes let's waste Police time and resources.