Just had a bump - advice please.

Mati

Hi

 the man had it in front of him and he was getting the numbers back to front. Besides, there were other things like his speech and seemingly not knowing what was going on. 

[Deleted User]

Put aside his fitness to drive, which is nothing to do with your case (it's a matter for the doctor, police and DVLA) and will be difficult to prove, it could be shock as much as anything.

Go to the site and take photos of the incident area (assuming you didn't take any at the time). If he has gone through a give way without stopping it's a lot easier than if 2 lanes merged and he just tried to go into your lane without looking. If he claimed you "appeared out of nowhere" in writing that at least shows he wasn't driving with due care and attention. You might get a simple liability admission or it might go on for a while if there is a dispute. Get the witness to put in writing asap before they forget details.

Last time I witnessed an accident when I was on my bike I had it all on helmet camera and provided it to the insurer to deal with when they sent me a statement form which was a couple of weeks later. Sooner the better, some dishonest types will come up with their own "independent" witness who claims you were at fault.

Mati

Thanks for that. I will go and take photos and have texted the witness. The side street was very narrow, one lane just an open cut really straight between houses, onto the main highway with no signs. The man is very old, (I am 71) whether that means he is more likely to be honest I don't know. 

Marvel1

Mati said:

I reported it to my insurance company and they said my no claims is protected with no fault, but my next policy could be affected. So please anyone, should I go straight to the third party insurers and are there any cons doing that? Thanks in advance.

Your policy will go up regardless for the next 5 years, as needs to be declared 

TELLIT01

My wife doesn't know her mobile number and wouldn't have a clue how to find it if she did have the phone in her hand.  Add to that the stress caused by an accident, no matter how small, and it's not that surprising he didn't know the number.

I think some people may be out of touch with prices these days.  I needed to get a crease removed from my front bumper over 5 years ago, along with a few minor scratches sorted.  That cost best part of £300.

Mati

It's getting rather boring having to read comments which show the other posts have not been read properly. The phone was in his hand showing the phone number and he still could not transfer it to me.

I told the insurance person about his condition and that he had said I had appeared out of nowhere and she thought that did not sound very good, so I have done my duty in reporting him. 

csgohan4

dashcam? if not get one, could be helpful

[Deleted User]

If you were driving down a road and he has pulled out onto the road from a side entrance / road then it should be open and shut as he has to give way (assuming that is the situation, not knowing the road etc)

Do a sketch with your photos showing car positions, where he came from etc. Photos also from the place he came out of, if it shows he couldn't see the road before pulling out, helps your case as he should have bene more careful.

Generally speaking, if you are joining a road and hit someone on the road already, you'd be at fault, but evidence and witness statements ready to go will help - the witness might ignore / not receive the forms if they turn up later

Mati

Pointless getting a cam as it is the first incident after 30 years of driving for me and I usually only drive near home during quiet periods. This was a one off I am sure. 

I took plenty of photos this morning showing the side street he came out of and it is near a turn to the right in the road, so he probably looked right then left and failed to look right again. He said I came out of nowhere and this shows what happened. The road is in full view from where the was parking waiting to pull out to turn right.

My car is worse than I thought and I need a new door. Just about decided to go through my insurance.

Mati

All sorted. 3rd party accepted liability.