Need advice re a compensation claim put in against me !

Bluediamond

Last month I was involved in an accident for which I admitted fault immediately. Running up the back of someone on my way to work.

Yesterday I have received a letter from a Solicitor saying that the other party wishes to seek compensation for the accident. For the record he did not disclose any injuries and damage to his car was a new bumper and lights.

I have called Direct Line who we are with and they say just to send the letter to them and they take care of it all. But, I asked more than once saying that I did not have Legal Assistance on my Policy and wondered if that will affect me. The chap at Direct Line repeated that they take care of it but I felt that he was not completely sure.

Has anybody else had this happen to them or can anyone give me some advice here ?

Mark7799

This happened to me a long time ago and I remember panicking when I received a similar letter. (I admitted fault straight away as well) I gave the letter to my insurance company and let them get on with it - never heard anything else from them.

I don't think the Legal Assistance bit matters here, this sounds like the normal claim process

Ialwaysgetdone

Bluediamond wrote: »

Last month I was involved in an accident for which I admitted fault immediately. Running up the back of someone on my way to work.

Yesterday I have received a letter from a Solicitor saying that the other party wishes to seek compensation for the accident. For the record he did not disclose any injuries and damage to his car was a new bumper and lights.

I have called Direct Line who we are with and they say just to send the letter to them and they take care of it all. But, I asked more than once saying that I did not have Legal Assistance on my Policy and wondered if that will affect me. The chap at Direct Line repeated that they take care of it but I felt that he was not completely sure.

Has anybody else had this happen to them or can anyone give me some advice here ?

Hi there, I had a similar thing 4 or so years ago, ran into the back of a lorry at a junction, admitted blame etc. I also got a letter from a solictior and was quite alarmed at the time but contacted CIS my insurer at the time and was told exactly the same, to send it on to them and they would deal with it. I did that (after photocopying it for myself just in case) and that was it. Hope that reassures you

BenL

Yep the insurance co will handle it.

Its standard practice for the letter to be sent to the person involved in the accident.

When I made a compensation claim after being hit the letter was sent to the lass who hit me.

My g/f at the time who was in the car didn't want to put her claim in as it may upset the lass who hit our car.

She soon got over that when the money came through and a holiday plus new dining suite was ordered.

Bluediamond

Thanks for all the replys everyone, you have really helped.

Just unsure why people put in claims when there are no injuries or any losses .

I won't say what my opinion is of them !

Thanks everyone ! ! !

Quentin

Innocent people who are crashed in to have more losses than just the damage to their cars!

As well as injury, you have caused inconvenience, loss of use of the car (whilst it's getting repaired) which may mean a hire car has been needed, time wasted taking car for quotations as well as delivery and collection from the repairers plus other miscellaneous losses such as postage, phone calls etc.

Do you ever wonder what the opinion of the poor driver you hit has of you?

qazitory

Also they may had to have time off work to arrange repairs etc.

BenL

The injuries may have come on later, bad necks/whiplash and in my case torn/micro tears or something to shoulder muscles took a few days to come through.

Time off to go to the Drs, hire cars, fetching things from your written off car in its depot 100 miles away.

Luckily my car was worth what i had outstanding on a loan and didn't put a lot of deposit down on it and without GAP cover this "can" be used to up the settlement.

My g/f was a little nervous about getting a car for a few weeks due to the careless? actions of another driver who hit us.

Then there is the "well I have paid insurance premiums all the time for other people to do this so i am going to capitalise". I must admit I had a little of this as well.

£4500 between 2 of us is more than the inconvenience but that's what the other parties insurance company offered after seeing the medical reports so i was not going to be the one to barter them downwards.


Home time

Ben

Ialwaysgetdone

Quentin wrote: »

Innocent people who are crashed in to have more losses than just the damage to their cars!

As well as injury, you have caused inconvenience, loss of use of the car (whilst it's getting repaired) which may mean a hire car has been needed, time wasted taking car for quotations as well as delivery and collection from the repairers plus other miscellaneous losses such as postage, phone calls etc.

Do you ever wonder what the opinion of the poor driver you hit has of you?

You are not kidding. In 1979 I had just bought a second hand Hillman Hunter for £400 from a garage and on the way home I was stopped at traffic lights at roadworks when an Austin Allegro ploughed into the back of me at 60mph, he never even saw the traffic lights.

Being young and naive and in shock I agreed to swap insurance details rather than get police. I was insured 3rd party so had to get a solicitor. I was 3 months without a car (it was written off), myself and wife to-be were off work for 2 days and 3 days respectively and after that three months I got £300 net from the insurance. So £100 out of pocket and no fault of my own and it was quite a lot of money back then. There used to be quite a big difference between third party and fully comp back then but I was always fully comp after that.

29 years on I am still very nervous sitting at lights wondering if the driver behind is going to stop

Bluediamond

Well Thank You for your very curt replies...obviously touched a raw nerve there.

My opinion stays the same. Shame I forgot to add the the man that was hit by me who had a broken bumper and walked away admitted that his brake lights were not working. Of course I really meant to run into the back of him after 24 years of driving and not one accident to mention.

My opinion still stands !

Ialwaysgetdone

Bluediamond wrote: »

Well Thank You for your very curt replies...obviously touched a raw nerve there.

My opinion stays the same. Shame I forgot to add the the man that was hit by me who had a broken bumper and walked away admitted that his brake lights were not working. Of course I really meant to run into the back of him after 24 years of driving and not one accident to mention.

My opinion still stands !

No offence meant from me Bluediamond, I've had it both ways, someone run into me and I've run into someone. The lorry I ran into had almost no damage at all, he had pulled away then stopped instantly, I was hardly moving, in fact you wouldn't have noticed any difference between that one and another identical lorry yet they claimed for a range of stuff that I know wasn't damaged, the guy I spoke to at CIS told me what it was they were claiming for and they were clever enough not to claim too much - so I know what you are saying.
EDIT.. I have even often wondered if it was deliberate on his part