Crashing in street furniture

sevenhills

When there is an accident involving lamp posts, rails and any local authority property, do the police inform the local authorities?
If a tree or fence needs replacing, do insurance companies foot the bill?

unholyangel

It my experience it depends on the situation. Typically the police (at least here) will try to trace the owner or if it was perhaps a council house that was damaged, they'd ask the tenants to contact them.

Your 2nd question...think things through logically for a second. Whats the minimum insurance coverage required to legally drive a car? Third party liability. What does third party liability mean? Well a third party is a entity who is not party to the insurance contract. So third party liability provides cover/insurance against a claim for any damage/injury suffered by someone else for which you are liable.

bris

Yes it's third party damage, insurance will cover it. The police need to be called and will inform the appropriate council department with your details.

Car_54

The police don't need to be called. If property is damaged, and you aren't able to give your details to the property owner at the time, then you must report it to the police ASAP, and in any event within 24 hours.

angrycrow

Just wait until you see how expensive it is to replace a lamp post then you will be glad your insurer is picking up the bill. You are talking thousands.

Gloomendoom

I smashed up a bridge parapet once and wasn't billed. My wife bent a length of roadside railings out of shape and she wasn't billed either. The police attended in both cases.

There seems to be a degree of luck involved as I know several people who have had to foot the bill for damaged street furniture: lamp posts, a telephone pole, fences and a bus shelter.

Car_54

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I smashed up a bridge parapet once and wasn't billed. My wife bent a length of roadside railings out of shape and she wasn't billed either. The police attended in both cases

Can you be sure your insurers weren't billed direct? They wouldn't necessarily tell you

Browntoa

A friend of mine hit a motorised barrier at the blackwall tunnel after slipping on diesel on the road


he got billed for that but never found out how much , but we hate to think of the expense if insurance hadn't covered it

306chris

One of my lorries knocked over a stone bench in a town centre a few years ago.

The police weren't involved but we did receive a hefty bill from the town council.

Gloomendoom

Car_54 wrote: »

Can you be sure your insurers weren't billed direct? They wouldn't necessarily tell you

In my case yes, absolutely. The car was self insured by the company I worked for. The car was written off but no money was paid to any third party.

In my wife's case, she asked for cost of the accident when switching insurers and it only covered the cost of the repairs to her car.

sevenhills

Gloomendoom wrote: »

In my wife's case, she asked for cost of the accident when switching insurers and it only covered the cost of the repairs to her car.

It does seem rather lax, our taxes pays for the repair of street furniture, and not the offender.