EU car hit by UK driver in the UK

eunos1991

Hi all,

Was recently back in the UK in my non UK auto (I'm a British expat living on the continent).

A uk driver collided with my vehicle in what can only be described as an open and shut case of it being their fault. Said driver is also being prosecuted by the police as a result.

My insurance is only third party fire and theft, and they are advising that we contact the sister company of the driver's insurer where we live.

I wanted to really ask if anyone can give any advice on how to proceed. I'm finding it very difficult to find any guidance or resources online for this situation. It all seems geared at UK residents hit by EU drivers and not the other way round.

As we're not from the UK this complicates matters and im not yet clear whether we need to contact a solicitor or claims management company to help us. Re. the latter i am also very wary as i have heard some are less than reputable.

Any advice gratefully received. I'm still a bit in shock and don't really know where to turn for help. Just relieved i was travelling alone.

DoaM

Contact the other party's insurer and claim off them directly for your losses? In a clear case of liability the insurer would tend to prefer this rather than the claimant using an AMC.

SouthLondonUser

Andrew Dalton is a lawyer who specialises in motorcycle accidents. He regularly writes on Ride magazine about how surprisingly few lawyers truly know the rules in situations like yours. I think he said you can basically sue in the jurisditcion of your choice, which can make a difference if the other jurisdiction is particularly slow. You might want to try contacting this Dalton guy and see if he can help with a non-motorcycle case. I have no connection whatsoever with him or his firm - I just remember him from the Ride magazine.

Car_54

Surely the title should be "EU car hit by EU driver in the EU"?

We haven't Brexited yet.

eunos1991

Thanks for the two serious and considered responses. Car54 that level of pedantry is neither helpful, funny nor appreciated.

angrycrow

The following link to the mib site should help a little with what your avenues for pursuing a claim are.

https://www.mib.org.uk/making-a-claim/claims-involving-an-accident-abroad/fourth-directive-explained/

Your member state is the country you normally reside in.

What I would suggest depends on how long you are back in the UK. If you will be here for a month or more contact the uk office of the third party insurers and ask them to repair your car. If you are soon to return to your home area claim through the third party insurers rep in your member state.only potential issue with claiming in the UK is getting parts for a left hand drive car may cause delays.

eunos1991

Thank you angry crow. We are now back home. Our insurer said to contact the insurers rep here but i hadn't seen that corroborated anywhere else yet so that is very reassuring.

The car is 99% a write off so i don't think parts will be an issue.

societys_child

Car_54 wrote: »

Surely the title should be "EU car hit by EU driver in the EU"?

We haven't Brexited yet.

eunos1991 wrote: »

Thanks for the two serious and considered responses. Car54 that level of pedantry is neither helpful, funny nor appreciated.

What is your problem? We are all in the EU. Unfortunately.
I didn't see the funny side, 'til I saw your answer . . . :T

Car_54

eunos1991 wrote: »

Thanks for the two serious and considered responses. Car54 that level of pedantry is neither helpful, funny nor appreciated.

Lighten up. So far, six other users have appreciated it. Whether they found it funny, or helpful, or both is unknown.

Korkyb

eunos1991 wrote: »

Thanks for the two serious and considered responses. Car54 that level of pedantry is neither helpful, funny nor appreciated.

Methinks that level of grumpiness was neither warranted, appropriate nor appreciated.


Welcome to MSE Victor.