The other driver admitted fault at scene but decided to claim after one month

ThemeOne

Isn't it official advice never to admit blame at the scene of an accident?

lisyloo

Moneywaster123 wrote: »

I thought I was lucky to meet someone honest and she was the nicest person in the world when she said she doesn’t want to claim.

Perhaps she was in shock or thought repairs would not be necessary and later on reflection in proper light realised repairs would be required.

The whole insurance thing is just so unfair......
And my insurer is too keen on paying out which makes me mad

Why is it unfair?
You are 100% at fault here.
Someone could slam on their brakes for a genuine reason like a child runs out or a wild animal.

It’s your responsibility to drive at a safe distance at all times to be able to stop if there is a genuine emergency.

It’s completely fair that she is recompensed even if she was in shock or couldn’t asses the damage correctly immediately after the accident.

If you want to avoid claims in future drive at a safe distance.
A dash cam won’t help you if you are 100% to blame although is very helpful in the circs mentioned.

Have you considered that she may be an innocent and physically injured party and didn’t just slam on her brakes for the fun of it?

lisyloo

ThemeOne wrote: »

Isn't it official advice never to admit blame at the scene of an accident?

Yes that’s correct.

People are often in shock after an accident though even if it’s a minor bump, so they don’t always behave rationally.
What she said at the time when she was in shock and hadn’t had time to assess the damage objectively in proper lighting should not be given any weight or relevance.
It’s hardly a signed confession, merely an immediate reaction whilst in shock which is a medically recognised phenomenon.

It’s best to follow the advice if you possibly can, but if your drugged up (by medics) or in medically recognised shock then no one is going to hold you legally liable for what you say.

POPPYOSCAR

Seems it can affect people in strange ways.

When our daughter's boyfriend was hit from behind the driver admitted it was his fault and kept saying sorry.

They exchanged details.

The driver then told the insurance company that he was not involved in the accident but was a witness!

Our daughter had taken photos of both cars and him clearly showing he was involved.

lisyloo

sometimes people do strange things when they are under duress, for example a woman in a domestic abuse situation might lie if she knows her husband will beat her up for damaging his car.

Photos, dash cam, independent witnesses are all good.

BoGoF

OP - once you admit that you caused the accident then maybe it will feel like less of an injustice. You were driving to close to the car in front.....end of.

prowla

In these days of smart phones, it's very easy to take come pictures of the scene and the other driver).


Unfortunately for the OP, running into the back of someone means it's your fault, even if they were driving like a total numpty.


(Bar of course, they swapped lanes and jammed their brakes on, or they reversed into you, they fell out of the sky and landed right in front of you, etc. :-) )

Moneywaster123

After reading all the replies from you guys, I do admit that I’m 100% at fault, I’ve been driving carefully for 10 years with no claims at all, I guess I just had a bad day and didn’t pay attention to the road enough.

The only thing bothered me was that they decided to claim after one month. How do I know if they had another accident (like reverse her car to a tree) and claim the damage against my insurance...

Yeah, I guess some of you would say I should report to my insurer as soon as it happened. But I think most of us would probably take our chances if we though the other driver said they were not gonna claim. Maybe I made a bad decision...

I’m not mad with the other driver now, it’s just my insurer drives me crazy, I sent them email to provide more details eg. Photo etc, they can’t even bothered to reply my emails and questions.
Avoid Esure at all cost!

Quentin

Moneywaster123 wrote: »

.........The only thing bothered me was that they decided to claim after one month. How do I know if they had another accident (like reverse her car to a tree) and claim the damage against my insurance.........

They have 6 years to start a claim against you for damage

(You should always keep hold of your insurance docs at least 6 years)

lisyloo

Moneywaster123 wrote: »

The only thing bothered me was that they decided to claim after one month. How do I know if they had another accident (like reverse her car to a tree) and claim the damage against my insurance...

The answer is you don’t and there’s isn’t really anything you can do about it.
It doesn’t make much odds because if a paint repair is done properly it often means painting an entire panel/bumper.

Most likely what’s happened is that she was ill, busy at work, kids/mum/dad were ill, took time to get quotes as she has a pre-existing work and social life. I don’t think 1 month is very long as most likely they has some preexisting commitments like a social life.
There is no expectation that she should cancel preexisting commitments for your convenience.

Yeah, I guess some of you would say I should report to my insurer as soon as it happened. But I think most of us would probably take our chances if we though the other driver said they were not gonna claim. Maybe I made a bad decision...

I can understand your decision, but now you know that what people say on the spur of the moment or in shock cannot be relied upon.

I’m not mad with the other driver now, it’s just my insurer drives me crazy, I sent them email to provide more details eg. Photo etc, they can’t even bothered to reply my emails and questions.
Avoid Esure at all cost!

Have you tried phone or chat service?
It’s not acceptable for them to just not answer.
If they don’t answer on any channel then make a formal complaint, however not sure what your questions might be.

You are liable for a full proper repair (whole panel) plus any reported personal injury. Unless there is anything untoward (like repairs to the front of the car) you just need to let your insurer deal with it.
They aren’t expected to make this their top priority for your convenience.
If the damage doesn’t make the car undeliverable the they can get it done at their convenience (and why shoudnt they?)
You caused this disruption to their life. You don’t deserve to be continually persecuted for a minor accident but you might have to be patient whilst this person fits the repairs into their busy life and the insurer deals with the admin in a pipelined fashion I.e. it’s in a queue.

I would recommend an advanced driving course with either the IAM or Rospa. These are voluntary organisations and whilst it might cost a few hundred quid its worth it weight IMO in helping you avoid this kind of accident. You will also get a discount on your insurance once you pass a test. Can certainly be justified on cost grounds alone but you’d also avoid a whole lot of hassle which clearly your not handling in a relaxed way (I wouldn’t either).