Someone crashed into my parked car possibly writing it off

chaotic_j

Hi,

Someone has crashed into my parked car which was on the main road near my home with such force it has propelled it upwards and partly onto the pavement and into the car in front. I was in bed at the time!

The rear driver side wheel is damaged, axle seems damaged, above here bodywork is all split etc. other wheels may be damaged, front is cracked and damaged.

The police had attended the scene and gave me a reference number. They said the driver was breathalysed but came back negative 'so there is not much we can do' I've since found that they had drinks but were borderline.

I was told to call the police today for the other drivers insurance details. I have rung my insurer to report and I said do you want to deal with it or should I go through the other persons insurance and they have opened a claim.

I am now told by a friend it would have been best for me to go through the other persons insurance? Apparently there is insurance on the car but I'm as yet unsure as to whether they were insured to drive the car.

I will be calling later for the other drivers details.

My insurer has said if they get all the money back from the other insurer I won't have to pay my excess of £350 and will keep my NCB of 8 years. If they can't get all the money back I lose the £350 excess and NCB is reduced to 3 years.

If the car can be fixed (they intend to send someone to look at it tomorrow) they will provide a courtesy car, otherwise no courtesy car but will look to pay out the sum ASAP so I can get another car.

To further complicate things I set my current insurance to lapse a day ago and signed up for insurance with another company 2 days ago.

I am really confused as it is looking like my car will be a write off - so I won't have a car to insure on renewal? Should I be cancelling the new policy? I have my car down as £1800 value which is fair considering the low mileage and condition, but I have been told by others the insurer may offer much less than this?

Really need some advice please.. thank you in advance,
chaotic_j

FutureGirl

Your insurer will pay the market value for your car.

I don't think it'll make a difference going through your or his insurance. So long as he and his insurers admit liability there shouldn't be any issues.

If you go through your insurers, they will pay out, and then the third party insurer will reimburse them. You don't need his insurance details you just give your insurer his vehicle reg, and they can check out if the car is insured. If he himself isn't insured to drive the car, your insurer will go whichever company insurers the vehicle (whether an insured person was driving it or not). However your insurance policy will have a claim on it which will affect your NCD until they receive reimbursement.

If yo go through the third party insurers (you can only do this if they admit liability) then you won't have to wait for them to reimburse your insures.

You need to declare the accident to you current (and future) insures whether its fault or non fault, whether you go through your or his insurers, and whether you claim or not.

chaotic_j

Hi,

After several phone calls I have the registration number of the car that crashed into mine. I spoke to my insurer and I have the insurance details too.

My insurer says if I go through the other persons insurance, I then can't go back to mine later i.e. if the car was stolen.

So presumably it is best to speak to the PC whose name I have been given to make sure that the driver has admitted liability and was authorised to drive the car?

I could then claim through their insurance, possibly getting a courtesy car in the meantime and speeding up the whole process?

Not straightforward at all, is it?

chaotic_j

Quentin

chaotic_j wrote: »

So presumably it is best to speak to the PC whose name I have been given to make sure that the driver has admitted liability and was authorised to drive the car?

I could then claim through their insurance, possibly getting a courtesy car in the meantime and speeding up the whole process?

Admissions of liability aren't anything to do with the police - it's a civil matter (police deal with criminal matters)


Contact the third party insurer and see if they have an innocent third party claim department to help you and take it from there

chaotic_j

Hi Quentin,

Thanks for this - is it right that if I go through their insurer I then can't go back to mine if the car was stolen or some other issue etc?

Kind regards,
chaotic_j

Quentin

No. They have misled you.


If the other side refuse to help you then you can still proceed with a claim against your own policy (assuming you have comprehensive cover)

chaotic_j

Hi,

I have managed to get the claim lodged on the persons insurance that crashed into my parked car. They have been spoken to and admitted liability.

I will get a hire car for 17 days so I can get around and about.

The only 'strange' thing is that I will get a call tomorrow to arrange to take my car away, it will be checked by engineers to give a pre-accident value and a scrap value.

They will deduct the scrap value from the pre-accident value to get to a sum that they will pay me - they will bring the car back to me then. The idea being I can potentially repair it or sell for the scrap value?

I don't really want the car back - I just want what it is worth. They said as they are not my insurer they have no interest in the vehicle itself, they could sell it but will not.

Is this normal procedure?

Thanks,
chaotic_j

Quentin

If you aren't happy with their offer then don't accept it!

missile

Very strange. What does your insurer say?

Mungo76

chaotic_j wrote: »

Hi,

I have managed to get the claim lodged on the persons insurance that crashed into my parked car. They have been spoken to and admitted liability.

I will get a hire car for 17 days so I can get around and about.

The only 'strange' thing is that I will get a call tomorrow to arrange to take my car away, it will be checked by engineers to give a pre-accident value and a scrap value.

They will deduct the scrap value from the pre-accident value to get to a sum that they will pay me - they will bring the car back to me then. The idea being I can potentially repair it or sell for the scrap value?

I don't really want the car back - I just want what it is worth. They said as they are not my insurer they have no interest in the vehicle itself, they could sell it but will not.

Is this normal procedure?

Thanks,
chaotic_j

yep - totally normal.

chaotic_j

Hi,

So Copart rang today to arrange to collect my old car Thursday or Friday. I'm not available either day so had to call them back stating Friday 8am to 3pm was OK as long as their offer of the driver calling my family member an hour before collection.

They were quite rude saying does it have to be Friday to which I replied yes, as I'm not available but a family member can be - he can't be available Thursday though. When I asked questions they were also pretty rude and abrupt.

I was first told they were only taking it away to their depot some 100 miles away to take PHOTOS ?! Despite being told by the insurer they would be doing a report.

Queried this and I was then told yes they will take photos and also do a report. Asked would they bring it back to me - no they said. But the insurer said you would bring it back - 'oh we don't know blah blah etc.'

The insurer then called late in the day to say it was no longer going to Copart and they had informed them of this in the morning? Now the insurer want me to take specific pictures myself and email these to them.

I didn't have a pen at the time so they were emailing me the email address along with the details of the specific pictures required - nothing received some 1 and a half hours later?

Any ideas why they have changed their mind? Possibly not worth taking 100 miles away? I am now told they will give a pre-accident value based on an engineer looking at my pictures and also checking Autotrader?

Thanks,
chaotic_j