what can i claim for after crash?

whiteroom184

hi guys

hope you can offer some advice

i was involved in a car accident yesterday, the other driver has assumed full responsibility for the collision, can anyone advise me what else i can claim for so far i'm looking at;-
enhanced fuel costs as the hire car will be a petrol as apposed to a diesel, potential whiplash

i guess what i really want to know is there any claim i can make on having to take 2 holiday days from my annual leave to cover the 2 days i have wasted following on from the crash which has left the car unfit to drive and from me waiting for the hire car and repair garage to collect?

any other items to claim for would be greatfully recieved

isobel

lisyloo

the other driver has assumed full responsibility for the collision

Just a word of warning.
What the other drive said at the time is not necessarily the line they will take afterwards or indeed their insurers will take.

enhanced fuel costs as the hire car will be a petrol as apposed to a diesel,

If you have extra costs that you can justify and prove then you should be able to claim them.
At the present time though, do you know the fuel consumption of the new vehicle?
It may have better fuel consumption than yours.

potential whiplash

If you have any injuries then yes you can make a claim.
If often takes a lot more than a day to appear though.
My advice is to see your doctor and get advice.
There are steps you can take very early on to avoid things like scar tissue.
Injuries can take a long time to see the full affects (possibly years) so it may not be in your interests to jump the gun here. The whole claim is likely to take quite a long time (I'm still trying to get one sorted from nealrly 3 years ago).

i guess what i really want to know is there any claim i can make on having to take 2 holiday days from my annual leave to cover the 2 days i have wasted following on from the crash which has left the car unfit to drive and from me waiting for the hire car and repair garage to collect?

Well firstly you have a duty to minimize costs.
Therefore the other side will justly complain if you sat round for 2 days when you have possibly made other arrangements (like leaving a key with a neighbour).

If your claim is accepted then what you would need to do is take the time as "unpaid" leave and get a letter from your employer stating your losses.

However this needs to be a genuine claim.
So if you didn't need to take the 2 days off then the other side are likely to dispute it.

For example is there nowhere you could have left the keys? with a neighbour for exmaple.
If there is no public transport in your area and a taxi is less than the time off work then you should have got a taxi to work as it would have been cheaper than the time off.

The other side will contest your claim if they think you are taking the mickey.
Obviously I don't have the full story and I don't want to judge but in a lot of cases people would be expected to find alternatives to get to work and make other arrangements for keys (assuming of course that you aren't injured).

Of course if you genuinely needed the time off through illness or all other forms of transport being more expensive than your daily wage then you will be fully entitled to claim so you need to get the time deducted from your wages and get a note from your employer stating the costs you incurred.

Quentin

Maybe worth appointing a claim handler, who (if they accept you) will make sure every penny (and more) you are entitled to claim off the third party is claimed.

whiteroom184

Thanks for than Quentin

my place of work is 60 miles from my home and there are no direct or indirect transport routes which would get me to work, e.g first train leaves at 8.30am and last train back is 3.30pm when my shift patterns are either 7-4 or 10-7

in response to claiming responsibility the insurance company has already been in contact and claimed full responsibility

and the car for fuel comparison is 1/2 as economical

Quentin

If the third party's insurance have accepted liability, then you are in the pound seats as far as getting a claim handler to sort it out for you.

Make sure you get someone who won't want a cut from you. Most reputable ones won't, and will charge their fees to the third party. They will also arrange hire cars, doctors appointments, compensation for time off etc for you.

lisyloo

and the car for fuel comparison is 1/2 as economical

It sounds like you are fully justified in claiming.
However just to cover yourself it might be worth asking if there is a more economical car availble. My only concern is about your need to try to minimize losses.
If the other side thinks the bills are too big they may dispute them so in your shoes I would have a word with the hire car company.
Of course if they have nothing suitable then that's not your fault, but you would at least be able to demonstrate that you tried.

Do you have legal cover for uninsured losses?
If you have this then they should be the people pursuing this for you.
If you don't then you will need to appoint a firm.

whiteroom184

thankyou both

i asked both esure and enterprise for a diesel or more economocal car and the said 1 was not available

how would i go about getting a claims handler or would it be best to try and get it from esure first?

isobel

Quentin

When you have a cast iron case like this, a specialist firm are far better than using your legal insurance.

They are full time on cases like this, know all the angles to go for, (and what hire cars are acceptable etc), and of course make far more for themselves out of fees and commissions than do the people who do legal cover work for the insurance companies, and so are more interested in getting the best deals.

(The insurance companies are aware of this which is why some of them do contact injured parties early and admit liability after hearing from their client, to try and forestall a claims handler bering appointed)

lisyloo

When you have a cast iron case like this, a specialist firm are far better than using your legal insurance.

A bit off topic - but in your opinion is legal cover a waste of money? or are their different scenarios in which it's worthwhile?

Quentin

whiteroom184 wrote: »

how would i go about getting a claims handler

Ask for local recommendations (friends/local bodyshop etc).

Or failing that google for claims handlers will bring up some national ones.

Make sure you won't be paying any fees at all when appointing someone.

Quentin

lisyloo wrote: »

A bit off topic - but in your opinion is legal cover a waste of money? or are their different scenarios in which it's worthwhile?

As you can now get it so cheaply (around £5 I think), then it's a useful safety net, especially for small claims (when a handler wouldn't be interested), which aren't worth you devoting your own time to - eg chasing someone for £100 after they knocked your wing mirror off, or just recouping your excess after a claim)

But if you were involved in a major compensation claim, then a specialist would give much better service, and would pass their fees on to the third party.