Car accident with taxi driver

Nadiya

Hi
Hope somebody can advise plz
My husband had hit a taxi from behind. There were two passengers and the taxi driver. My husband checked with the passengers if they were OK. They were flying to U. S. A.
It was just a bumper scratch for which they agreed for mutual settlement. The taxi driver was paid £80 for the repairs the very next day.
After two days the taxi driver came back with a letter stating my husband is the fault party and he is the non fault party in this accident as previously my husband agreed for his fault verbally. He said he just needs this to show to the council to get his taxi checked and he is not be blamed as he would loose his license. My husband signed it.

My concern is will he MISUSE THE LETTER for any other claims. The letter signed clearly states NO FURTHER CLAIMS TO BE MADE AGAINST THE CAR. THIS IS THE FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT.

He said this is just for council but he asked for extra £200 for loosing his wages which we denied as he didn't bring this up before.

Plz advise.

wgl2014

Too late to be able to do anything differently, shouldn't have signed anything like that but hey ho....
You still need to tell your insurance company regardless of if you are making a claim, call and give them the details for info only. If the taxi driver subsequently makes any more claims you will be glad you did.

motorguy

Nadiya wrote: »

Hi
Hope somebody can advise plz
My husband had hit a taxi from behind. There were two passengers and the taxi driver. My husband checked with the passengers if they were OK. They were flying to U. S. A.
It was just a bumper scratch for which they agreed for mutual settlement. The taxi driver was paid £80 for the repairs the very next day.
After two days the taxi driver came back with a letter stating my husband is the fault party and he is the non fault party in this accident as previously my husband agreed for his fault verbally. He said he just needs this to show to the council to get his taxi checked and he is not be blamed as he would loose his license. My husband signed it.

My concern is will he MISUSE THE LETTER for any other claims. The letter signed clearly states NO FURTHER CLAIMS TO BE MADE AGAINST THE CAR. THIS IS THE FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT.

He said this is just for council but he asked for extra £200 for loosing his wages which we denied as he didn't bring this up before.

Plz advise.

If your husband drove in to the back of the taxi and it was your husbands fault i dont see how signing a bit of paper allows for some sort of exploitation.

If the driver or one of the passengers puts in a claim for personal injuries / loss of earning because of personal injuries then that bit of paper wont matter a jot anyway.

Nadiya

That's absolutely right. He would definitely take the responsibility if some one is injured. He checked on the passengers and the driver. They said they were OK. Just a minor scratch at the bumper We are just worried if any false claims can be made in future because he first asked for £80. 2 days later he called for loss of earnings and now this letter. So not sure what he is upto.
He said the passengers have called his taxi company and informed about this accident. Hence he needs this letter for his employer and the council.

Nadiya

He has repaired his car and insurance companies are not involved. Can he still claim personal injury in the future though nothing such has happened to anyone.

shaun_from_Africa

Nadiya wrote: »

He has repaired his car and insurance companies are not involved. Can he still claim personal injury in the future though nothing such has happened to anyone.

Does "companies are not involved" mean that they haven't been informed? If so, this is something that could well come back and bite your husband.


As to a personal injury claim.
Yes, I think (although I may be wrong) that an injured party has up to 3 years to claim for an injury and this could involve both the driver and his passengers.
All it would take is for someone to inform the driver that they have a possible claim and they might suddenly develop neck pains.

motorguy

Nadiya wrote: »

That's absolutely right. He would definitely take the responsibility if some one is injured. He checked on the passengers and the driver. They said they were OK. Just a minor scratch at the bumper We are just worried if any false claims can be made in future because he first asked for £80. 2 days later he called for loss of earnings and now this letter. So not sure what he is upto.
He said the passengers have called his taxi company and informed about this accident. Hence he needs this letter for his employer and the council.

With respect, i'm going to assume your husband isnt a doctor therefore not in a position to make a diagnosis on the spot to know if someone has or hasnt had whiplash - which may take several days to develop.

If someone submits a personal injury claim, then it will be up to your husbands insurance company to defend it if they think its fraudulent.

He needs to inform his insurance company of the accident and let them know that he has settled it at this stage with an £80 payment from his own pocket for repairs.

They will take a dim view of it if a claim comes through at some point down the line and they were aware of the accident.

Your husband has done what he can to mitigate risk however if the driver / passengers subsequently submit a claim then thats just how it is. Its going to be a waiting game....

sevenhills

Nadiya wrote: »

It was just a bumper scratch for which they agreed for mutual settlement. The taxi driver was paid £80 for the repairs the very next day.

For any type of damage, £80 is very cheap, even if you paid another £200, it is still very cheap. So the taxi driver has been very fair.

unholyangel

I've never heard of a council removing someones licence for being in an accident (whether it was their fault or not). It would be a silly rule because taxi drivers spend so long on the road, they're naturally a higher risk for making a claim (including a claim where they're at fault).

Also, I'm not sure I'd agree that the taxi driver is being fair. £200 for lost earnings for what? Was the car damaged so severely that it was required to be off the road for days? That seems at odds with the £80 claim for damage to the motor. And he still has a duty to mitigate his losses. Taxi'ing is a 24 hour trade so plenty of opportunity for him to mitigate that loss.

Arklight

unholyangel wrote: »

I've never heard of a council removing someones licence for being in an accident (whether it was their fault or not). It would be a silly rule because taxi drivers spend so long on the road, they're naturally a higher risk for making a claim (including a claim where they're at fault).

Also, I'm not sure I'd agree that the taxi driver is being fair. £200 for lost earnings for what? Was the car damaged so severely that it was required to be off the road for days? That seems at odds with the £80 claim for damage to the motor. And he still has a duty to mitigate his losses. Taxi'ing is a 24 hour trade so plenty of opportunity for him to mitigate that loss.

You are kidding?

New bumper, professional colour match spray, hire car, loss of earnings. You are looking at £2k already. And the OP doesn't want to give him £280 to keep it off her insurance (which by the way is a terrible idea).

v40vol

unholyangel wrote: »

I've never heard of a council removing someones licence for being in an accident (whether it was their fault or not).

In my area, If a Taxi is involved in an accident. It as to be reported to the Council.

Who then have to check the vehicle before it can go back on the road!