accused of damaging car

overcharged

Hi Guys

My gf parked in a carpark at the mental health wing of a hospital as she had an appointment. She'd been suffering from severe depression and had been suicidal but today, thank God, was her final appointment where she was discharged by a mental health nurse.

As we emerged from the building a woman stood with another individual in our path. The woman said "You've damaged my car". I immediately said "No we haven't".

She showed us her white car, which was entirely coated with dirt. On its side was a thin line where me and my gf were astonished to be notified that the bumper had touched her car.

Upon the woman using spittle to wipe away some of the dirt I couldn't see any scrapes or bumps whatsoever. I took many photos of the area using my flash.

My gf gave the woman her number. The woman said she would call once the car was washed. The woman left a voicemail shortly after, saying that she could see damage and her car will need to be fixed and get a respray. She revealed she was a member of staff at the wing of the mental health hospital my gf had visited.

My gf phoned her back and the woman admitted she hadn't yet taken the dirty car for a wash. My gf asked her to visit a garage for a quote for the work she was claiming. The woman said she would.

My gf became really upset at the way the woman, a member of staff, confronted us, insisting that we had damaged her car, without any discernible damage due to the dirt, and yet to have been checked over in a garage. Surely the woman should have (she had our registration provided to her by her witness) contacted the car licensing authority with the registration to obtain contact details rather than challenge a patient leaving a mental health facility? Like I said, my gf was discharged today, but the incident still made her very upset. What if she was still feeling fully suicidal and got confronted like this by a member of mental health staff who should know better? It could have easily put her over the edge.

Anyway, as we're not well versed in dealing with alleged accidents etc, what would you guys suggest?

In summary:
1. Despite us not feeling any impact with her car, or realising we had touched it, we feel it is likely the bumper touched her car only due to the coincidence of it (my gf was turning to park nearby) and the woman has a witness and there was a line of smudged dirt approximately where gf's bumper could have been.

2. We feel aggrieved that this mental health professional confronted us in such a manner (stating for a fact that her car was damaged, having someone standing with her in our path as we departed the mental health wing), instead of requesting license contact details from the licensing authority, considering the location (mental health hospital) and her job (mental health).

Would really appreciate any feedback/thoughts whatsoever!

System

overcharged wrote: »

Surely the woman should have (she had our registration provided to her by her witness) contacted the car licensing authority with the registration to obtain contact details rather than challenge a patient leaving a mental health facility?

DVLA won't give out the information. Your GF being a patient leaving a mental health facility is utterly irrelevant so there is no point posting about it or mentioning it, it will make absolutely no difference at all to the outcome. A reasonable person cannot know that they are and if it was such a problem then your GF isn't fit to be driving is she? In fact blathering on about it as you have would actually work against her as the third party could use it as proof that your GF wasn't actually fit to drive and because of not being fit to drive hit their car.

Had it been your vehicle it had happened to in a supermarket car park and you saw the person who you thought had done it coming back would you have said nothing or would you have had a word? This situation is no different.

Aylesbury_Duck

overcharged wrote: »

Hi Guys

My gf parked in a carpark at the mental health wing of a hospital as she had an appointment. She'd been suffering from severe depression and had been suicidal but today, thank God, was her final appointment where she was discharged by a mental health nurse.

As we emerged from the building a woman stood with another individual in our path. The woman said "You've damaged my car". I immediately said "No we haven't".

She showed us her white car, which was entirely coated with dirt. On its side was a thin line where me and my gf were astonished to be notified that the bumper had touched her car.

Upon the woman using spittle to wipe away some of the dirt I couldn't see any scrapes or bumps whatsoever. I took many photos of the area using my flash.

My gf gave the woman her number. The woman said she would call once the car was washed. The woman left a voicemail shortly after, saying that she could see damage and her car will need to be fixed and get a respray. She revealed she was a member of staff at the wing of the mental health hospital my gf had visited.

My gf phoned her back and the woman admitted she hadn't yet taken the dirty car for a wash. My gf asked her to visit a garage for a quote for the work she was claiming. The woman said she would.

My gf became really upset at the way the woman, a member of staff, confronted us, insisting that we had damaged her car, without any discernible damage due to the dirt, and yet to have been checked over in a garage. Surely the woman should have (she had our registration provided to her by her witness) contacted the car licensing authority with the registration to obtain contact details rather than challenge a patient leaving a mental health facility? Like I said, my gf was discharged today, but the incident still made her very upset. What if she was still feeling fully suicidal and got confronted like this by a member of mental health staff who should know better? It could have easily put her over the edge.

Anyway, as we're not well versed in dealing with alleged accidents etc, what would you guys suggest?

In summary:
1. Despite us not feeling any impact with her car, or realising we had touched it, we feel it is likely the bumper touched her car only due to the coincidence of it (my gf was turning to park nearby) and the woman has a witness and there was a line of smudged dirt approximately where gf's bumper could have been.

2. We feel aggrieved that this mental health professional confronted us in such a manner (stating for a fact that her car was damaged, having someone standing with her in our path as we departed the mental health wing), instead of requesting license contact details from the licensing authority, considering the location (mental health hospital) and her job (mental health).

Would really appreciate any feedback/thoughts whatsoever!

1. Wait and see what happens. It's possible there's damage, then the woman will have to decide whether to notify her insurer and make a claim on your insurance. If the damage is almost non-existent, she probably will drop it or ask you to pay the costs. It's up to you what you do at that point.

2. Let it drop. People like those you've encountered are everywhere and you won't get anywhere pursuing this. The contextual circumstances, with respect, are irrelevant even if they are upsetting. As you found, there are many more important things in life to worry about. Grumpy people aren't one of them.

Warwick_Hunt

How was the alleged damage caused?

overcharged

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

1. Wait and see what happens. It's possible there's damage, then the woman will have to decide whether to notify her insurer and make a claim on your insurance. If the damage is almost non-existent, she probably will drop it or ask you to pay the costs. It's up to you what you do at that point.

2. Let it drop. People like those you've encountered are everywhere and you won't get anywhere pursuing this. The contextual circumstances, with respect, are irrelevant even if they are upsetting. As you found, there are many more important things in life to worry about. Grumpy people aren't one of them.

Thanks for all your feedback guys much appreciated!

In the phonecall (prior to carwash or garage check) the woman mentioned a "respray" -- is this costly?

Warwick_Hunt

overcharged wrote: »

Thanks for all your feedback guys much appreciated!

In the phonecall (prior to carwash or garage check) the woman mentioned a "respray" -- is this costly?

A full respray and be thousands and a quick blow over can be a few quid.

What's the damage?

There appears to some acceptance that she caused the damage so what really happened?

Car_54

Whatever the outcome, Your GF needs to inform her insurers now of a potential claim.

shaun_from_Africa

Tarambor wrote: »

DVLA won't give out the information.

Yes they will.
provided you have reasonable cause for obtaining the details of the registered keeper, (and one of the allowable reasons is obtaining the information following damage to a vehicle) all you need to do is to fill out form V888 and submit it along with payment of £2.50.
https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/622658/v888-request-by-individual-for-information-about-vehicle.pdf

debtdebt

Yes you can fill out form V888 and try and get keeper details but you need a crime reference number and a quote from a bodyshop for the accident damage. A lot of hoops to jump through and a long delay before you get the keeper details. That's IF the DVLA decide to release them. It's much easier to approach the driver if they're in front of you.

I don't know why you feel so aggrieved. You state that you probably did hit the third party vehicle so the third party are well within their rights to approach your girlfriend. Whether she had mental health issues or not, it's not the third parties problem. If she can't deal with the ramifications of driving, she shouldn't drive.

shaun_from_Africa

debtdebt wrote: »

Yes you can fill out form V888 and try and get keeper details but you need a crime reference number and a quote from a bodyshop for the accident damage.

You only need a crime reference number if you have reported the damage to the police, something that doesn't always have to be done.
I applied for the details of the keeper of a vehicle earlier this year (which is how I know about the process) following an accident in a carpark where my car was whilst I was doing a job for someone.
This was a private carpark without public access so the police wouldn't have been interested.
I sent of the form and received the name and address of the RK without having to give a crime number.

Warwick_Hunt

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

You only need a crime reference number if you have reported the damage to the police, something that doesn't always have to be done.
I applied for the details of the keeper of a vehicle earlier this year (which is how I know about the process) following an accident in a carpark where my car was whilst I was doing a job for someone.
This was a private carpark without public access so the police wouldn't have been interested.
I sent of the form and received the name and address of the RK without having to give a crime number.

You won't get a crime number if it's an accident.