Accident with a motorbike and he is ghosting me

Marlax

Here is what happened...

It was heavy rain at a small roundabout. I indicated right to take the second exit and entered the roundabout. About halfway around, a motorbike came in from the opposite side and we collided. His bike went down and he was thrown, but, thankfully, he got up.

I stopped immediately and checked on him, and a passerby came over. The rider, speaking broken English, said he was okay but his wrists hurt. He repeatedly apologised and said it was his fault because he couldn’t see through his visor due to the rain. I asked if the passerby saw the incident, but he said he didn’t see the actual impact. 

As the rider didn't speak good english, he got his phone out and we used Google Translate (English ↔ Portuguese) to communicate, and he stated in the app that it wasn’t my fault. I photographed his WhatsApp number from his phone’s settings after mishearing it initially. He couldn’t find his insurance details and asked me to call later when a friend could help translate.

At the scene, in the rain, I only noticed minor scuffs on my car. As I was leaving I thought I'll go back and ask if I can take some photos of our Google translate conversation - which I did - although reading back, there's lots of misunderstood words by google (I said "hit", it heard "hate", for example) so it's not the best transcription. 

A few days later in dry daylight, I found there was actual damage: a headlight pushed in and the bumper displaced from a bracket. Not catastrophic, but it will need repair.

I tried contacting him afterward. On WhatsApp he answered once, I said who I was and then he hung up. Then his profile picture disappeared. Subsequent messages now show as sent but not delivered. I assume he has blocked me? Calling his mobile goes to voicemail. When I call from other numbers, he answers, but hangs up when I identify myself and then stops answering.

My questions: Is it worth pursuing him directly any further? If I report to my insurer now, could he deny everything and leave me with higher premiums and/or an excess to pay? With no independent witnesses (just photos of the Google translate conversation, his number and his bike/registration plate), what’s the realistic best next step - go through insurance, report to police, or just accept I'll have to self-fund repairs and bite the bullet and write-off to experience? And any advice on handling this when the other party is now unresponsive and possibly uninsured or unwilling to share details?

Thanks 

Mildly_Miffed

You could get his insurance details from AskMID.com but if he denies it to them, they won't do anything.

Just pass his name, number, registration, and the pics to your insurer. Let them deal with it.
If he continues to deny it and his insurer back him up, your insurer may continue to push - ultimately to a court case - or they may just pay themselves and it'll be an at-fault claim.

Ayr_Rage

Marlax said:

Here is what happened...

It was heavy rain at a small roundabout. I indicated right to take the second exit and entered the roundabout. About halfway around, a motorbike came in from the opposite side and we collided. His bike went down and he was thrown, but, thankfully, he got up.

I stopped immediately and checked on him, and a passerby came over. The rider, speaking broken English, said he was okay but his wrists hurt. He repeatedly apologised and said it was his fault because he couldn’t see through his visor due to the rain. I asked if the passerby saw the incident, but he said he didn’t see the actual impact. 

As the rider didn't speak good english, he got his phone out and we used Google Translate (English ↔ Portuguese) to communicate, and he stated in the app that it wasn’t my fault. I photographed his WhatsApp number from his phone’s settings after mishearing it initially. He couldn’t find his insurance details and asked me to call later when a friend could help translate.

At the scene, in the rain, I only noticed minor scuffs on my car. As I was leaving I thought I'll go back and ask if I can take some photos of our Google translate conversation - which I did - although reading back, there's lots of misunderstood words by google (I said "hit", it heard "hate", for example) so it's not the best transcription. 

A few days later in dry daylight, I found there was actual damage: a headlight pushed in and the bumper displaced from a bracket. Not catastrophic, but it will need repair.

I tried contacting him afterward. On WhatsApp he answered once, I said who I was and then he hung up. Then his profile picture disappeared. Subsequent messages now show as sent but not delivered. I assume he has blocked me? Calling his mobile goes to voicemail. When I call from other numbers, he answers, but hangs up when I identify myself and then stops answering.

My questions: Is it worth pursuing him directly any further? If I report to my insurer now, could he deny everything and leave me with higher premiums and/or an excess to pay? With no independent witnesses (just photos of the Google translate conversation, his number and his bike/registration plate), what’s the realistic best next step - go through insurance, report to police, or just accept I'll have to self-fund repairs and bite the bullet and write-off to experience? And any advice on handling this when the other party is now unresponsive and possibly uninsured or unwilling to share details?

Thanks 

How many exits on the roundabout?

If there were two you are fine, if you were going straight on and there were three exits you shouldn't have been indicating right.

How did he come from the opposite side?

Was he on the wrong side of the road? 

In any event you are required to report the accident to your insurers and then let them take care of it.

Car_54

OP, you must report it to your insurer. That's a legal obligation.

Did you exchange names and addresses, as required by law? As you've found out, a phone number may be useless. Your insurer should be able to follow it up from the reg. number, but it's not ideal.

Marlax

Here is the road...


On the one hand I'd rather not be out-of-pocket and I don't like the idea of him just ignoring me and getting away with it, but equally I really don't want an "at-fault" claim on my insurance file as it will cost me in premiums in subsequent years.

user1977

You do realise you'll still have to declare it even if you don't make a claim? I would just let the insurers sort it.

born_again

Did you get the number plate?

Marlax

born_again said:

Did you get the number plate?

Yes, I took a photo of the number plate

Brie

Marlax said:

On the one hand I'd rather not be out-of-pocket and I don't like the idea of him just ignoring me and getting away with it, but equally I really don't want an "at-fault" claim on my insurance file as it will cost me in premiums in subsequent years.

And if you don't report it you will potentially be without insurance for years.  Which means you might as well sell the car now.

victor2

Marlax said:

....

On the one hand I'd rather not be out-of-pocket and I don't like the idea of him just ignoring me and getting away with it, but equally I really don't want an "at-fault" claim on my insurance file as it will cost me in premiums in subsequent years.

You must tell your insurers, even if not claiming. If it is deemed to be his fault, your premium will probably increase anyway, although perhaps not by as much if it goes 50/50 or against you.. Do you have an unprotected NCD you are worried about losing? If so, that is unfortunate, but the way these things go.

Etchergifts

He’s gone radio-silent, and your Google Translate chat won’t hold as proof. Go straight to your insurer, show photos of your car, his bike, and the chat.