Coming home from work at 5 tonight and turning right to go onto a motorway slip road at traffic lights.(junction near Costco in Chadderton for those who know it.)

It's a 2 lane right turn, but square junction if you get my drift. I'm in the left lane and I always take it wide. i.e. I get as far left as I can because there's always another car to my right turning as well.

Any way, just about to straighten up when thud, the car next to me hits me just in front of the OSR wheel. I look in the wing mirror and see a car almost 90 degrees to me as though he's gone straight on or not turned enough, or early enough.

We stop on the slip road, big dos and little dos he's accusing me of cutting the corner. I say he run into me and tell him I drive onto this slip road every working day & have done so for the last 6 years. He has 2 other big buggers in with him so it's my word against theirs.

When I look at his car the front nearside corner of his MKIV Golf has grazes on it but also a big hole right through the plastic about 2" diameter, with dirt road inside. My vRS has scuff marks on the wheel arch and cracked paint. How the hell can all the damage possibly have been caused by this collision. I couldn't have made a hole like that if I hit it with a hammer.

I told him I believed the damage was already there, then he got shirty, called me a mouthy so and so .

We exchanged details and I drove to the police station where they didn't want to know.

So insurance time .

I've told them that under no circumstances will I accept responsibility and I think he did it purposely.

God I'm mad.

Gonna be £300 to repair. Might as well get it done myself.

Crappy picture of his bumper showing the hole.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2741/4133360512_e059bbdafd.jpg

That looks like a puncture? Like something small has his it hard!

Got a map of the junction?

Certainly sounds like an oppurtunist after getting you to pay for some earlier damage. Would like to bet that the best you will manage is knock for knock though unless you got a load of pics at the actual scene showing relative road markings and actual position of cars. Even then it is in the insurers best interest to settle 50/50 that way they get 2 lots of excess and 2 lots of inflated premiums next time round.

That looks like a puncture? Like something small has his it hard!

Got a map of the junction?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4133699414_40b40210a0_o.jpg

There are 2 lanes at traffic lights in between where it says A663 and Broadway at the top.

Each turn right, across the carriageway (going L to R with Broadway written on it) and then onto the slip road at the top of the picture.

Certainly sounds like an oppurtunist after getting you to pay for some earlier damage. Would like to bet that the best you will manage is knock for knock though unless you got a load of pics at the actual scene showing relative road markings and actual position of cars. Even then it is in the insurers best interest to settle 50/50 that way they get 2 lots of excess and 2 lots of inflated premiums next time round.

Thing is - knock for knock, the insurance company pays it's own clients bill. So I'll not claim and pay myself. He'll have to fork out his excess for his own damage. I think my excess is £250. So saves a load of hassle next renewal.

I didn't think it worked like that. You will both have to stump up excesses and have an "at fault" claim, even if you decide to get the repairs done at your own cost.

A better picture.

The Blue line is my travel. Red is where he SHOULD have gone, and black is where he DID go.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4133729332_eb63209936_o.jpg

I didn't think it worked like that. You will both have to stump up excesses and have an "at fault" claim, even if you decide to get the repairs done at your own cost.

If I decide not to claim then I don't pay excess. Done it before.

I'd state you're not claiming off your policy and that while you admit that an incident took place, you dispute that you had any fault and also dispute the damage claimed.

Just make sure you take pictures of your car and go back and get pictures of the junction.

If he has hit the wheel arch of your car and caused £300 of damage, then IMHO there is no way you could crack the bumper. Thick plastic + crash bar vs think metal, the metal won't win.

Worth getting your body shop to explain the damage to the car and pay them for an opinion on if the damage to your car represents enough damage to have caused the damage claimed by the third party. Even better if the insurance approved body shop is the one that gives this opinion.

You may still face an increased premium and have an incident you have to declare for the next five years when applying for insurance even if your company doesn't pay out if it is found to be 50/50 or your fault, and because the other guy is claiming from you then your insurers know about it!

I had a knock driving the GPO van and had to declare that to my insurers even though it wasn't my policy etc etc

I'd state you're not claiming off your policy and that while you admit that an incident took place, you dispute that you had any fault and also dispute the damage claimed.

Just make sure you take pictures of your car and go back and get pictures of the junction.

If he has hit the wheel arch of your car and caused £300 of damage, then IMHO there is no way you could crack the bumper. Thick plastic + crash bar vs think metal, the metal won't win.

Worth getting your body shop to explain the damage to the car and pay them for an opinion on if the damage to your car represents enough damage to have caused the damage claimed by the third party. Even better if the insurance approved body shop is the one that gives this opinion.

Thanks for that, some good points.

Yeah get a map of the junction off google maps, and put some boxes on to represent the cars. I'm struggling to visualise what you mean with turning right onto a motorway sliproad.

Sounds like he almost tried to overtake you through the turn, and understeered/misjudged it and ended up pranging you. Then didn't want to look a plonker infront of his mates so blamed you.

I'd persist with the police route. They were very helpful when I got T-boned by a crossing car while travelling on a dual carriageway. The guy tried to say I flashed him across, then left the scene very quickly and suspiciously. Me and my mum got the feeling he was drunk, and had a bad feeling about it, so got the police involved. Turned out he was some high ranking police officer, and persisted with his claim that it was not his fault. Luckily the police saw through his lie, and he was done for dangerous driving. Result. If you got a bad vibe off this guy, then it must have been for a reason. Go with your gut feeling and don't back down. Good luck with it all.

A better picture.

The Blue line is my travel. Red is where he SHOULD have gone, and black is where he DID go.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4133729332_eb63209936_o.jpg

I get it now! Sorry, wrote my original post an hour ago but got distracted!!Looks like it's his fault then. Why settle for 50/50 when it's not your fault?

Here's the damage to my car. Difficult to see really.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2493/4133765686_e9bd5d34fc_b.jpg

Looking at both lots of damage, I think its fair to say that there is no way the damage to the golf is related to your accident.

Its a shame that the golf picture isnt clearer and showing it already being dirty.

Its a shame that the golf picture isnt clearer and showing it already being dirty.

My fault. I thought I was taking a picture but pressed video in the heat of the moment. bugger.

That map is pretty good with the lines on it and you can even pick out the road markings, but still get real pictures.

Regarding the damage to your car, there is no way you caused the damage to his car with that little damage to the wing, Bear in mind the wing is a hollow piece of metal a few mm thick and you can see why we are saying that.

It's a 2 lane right turn, but square junction if you get my drift. I'm in the left lane and I always take it wide. i.e. I get as far left as I can because there's always another car to my right turning as well.

Yeah, I know the junction...have lost count of the number of times people to the right of me have swung wide. Not that I ever really started counting anyway, but it's a lot nonetheless.

Good luck getting it sorted!

Rob.

The Golf driver made an illegal lane change. His fault end of story.

it's not illegal to change lanes..

It's easy to see (to me anyway) why someone who didn't know the junction would take the route he did, but that doesn't excuse failing to see and hitting another car and it is an ideal place to stage a bump I suppose.

it's not illegal to change lanes..

It is if you hit another car which is already in the other lane. Front of Golf hit side of Skoda. It's called driving without due care in the UK. To OP, might be worth checking to see if there is CCTV coverage of the junction. Send all the stuff you can to your insurance. Don't let the other idiot cost you money.

Google map of area. Exit is top left? http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ol99xb&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Oldham,+Lancashire+OL99XB,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&ei=hZ8NS7b3F8O14Qbj4LGVBA&ved=0CAkQ8gEwAA&ll=53.526864,-2.160734&spn=0.000649,0.002411&t=k&z=19

That is harsh. Hope you get it sorted.

It's bad enough that someone crashed into you, quite another that they're trying to blame you

Steve

Google map of area. Exit is top left? http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ol99xb&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Oldham,+Lancashire+OL99XB,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&ei=hZ8NS7b3F8O14Qbj4LGVBA&ved=0CAkQ8gEwAA&ll=53.526864,-2.160734&spn=0.000649,0.002411&t=k&z=19

Yes, I was where the big white van is and ended up where the white van is on the box junction is. He was next to me.