I forgot to try to re-post this because when I tried the first time the website crashed.

The little dint happened on 05-01-2011 when a non UK truck decided he wanted to be in my lane on the A45 in Northampton when I was still there. I now have to wait months for the insurance to be sorted out or claim off my own. It drives ok but just looks damn ugly :(

I see this happen all the time at work - the best advice I can give anyone else (and the OP for future reference) is to give foreign HGV's loads of room. If you have three lanes and they're in one then pass in three! If you only have two then make sure that your able to pass them completely before you drive alongside them.

You need to pass them in one smooth quick overtake and not sit in the lane next to them if the only reason is because the car ahead of you is a bit slow - drop back and then pass when it's clear to do so.

How did this one happen?

Rich

Ouch!!!!!! looks nasty only missed 1 panel. But at least you are ok , could have been a hell of a lot worse.

How did this one happen?

Rich

I was doing about 65 past the truck but it was only on a dual carriage way, the truck driver told me that another truck had pulled out from a services in front of him and he swerved to avoid. The services has about a 5 meter slip roas so for most vehicles it is impossible to get an speed before joining the main road and there is no hard shoulder to use.

A5 Northampton

Did you have your kiddie in the car as well?

They should have no overtaking on that road for lorries.

Ouch ! Looks like it might have touched your rear wheel too.

Could have been much much worse of course so luck was still on your side in the end.

OMG ! :( Poor LE :(

I see this happen all the time at work - the best advice I can give anyone else (and the OP for future reference) is to give foreign HGV's loads of room. If you have three lanes and they're in one then pass in three! If you only have two then make sure that your able to pass them completely before you drive alongside them.

You need to pass them in one smooth quick overtake and not sit in the lane next to them if the only reason is because the car ahead of you is a bit slow - drop back and then pass when it's clear to do so.

Rich

I do this as normal specially on A20 / M20 as trucks just coming off train / ferry are prone to ' bouncing off the white lane lines', & this part of Kent is renown for its high rate of accidents involving foreign drivers.

Ouch ! Looks like it might have touched your rear wheel too.

Could have been much much worse of course so luck was still on your side in the end.

It did touch my rear wheel :( I think the truck lifted my car up in the air for a brief period and I have problems with my ankles probably due to pressing hard on the clutch and brake peddles. The Insurance company have told me it could take 3 months or more to sort out or I have to claim off my insurance and have to pay the £400 excess which I don't have spare right now.

Also the truck driver did not stop, I stopped asap but he carried on I reported it to the police there and then and they told me to wait for a highway patrol, then they called me to say they could not get to me and by this time I had checked the car and it seemed ok to drive. I got on the M1 southbound going to work when I got a call from the police saying the driver of the truck had called in and they had his details but I couldn't write anything down so I stopped at the services and called them back and they told me they couldn't give me the info over the phone which they offered me 10 minutes before and that I would have to go to a police station :( so I went back to Northampton found a police station got his details, phoned him, found he was making a delivery 12 miles away and then drove to him and got all his details. It was just a nightmare day.

Is that a (Recaro! ) car seat in the back? Could have been very nasty-I hope your kid wasn't in the car at the time? Watch out for nightmares if they were.... :S

Bad luck-hope it gets sorted without too much hassle.

To be fair to the foreign trucker (don't mix those two words up ), it must have been a difficult situation with blind spots etc.,-looks like he had the choice of hitting a truck or a car and he chose the softer option which unfortunately was you! :S

No excuse for not stopping though-that's bad form. :no: At least he did ring the cops after...

I had a similar but less damaging run in with a truck last year but he was stopped by the guy behind him who also acted as a witness for me.

If you get his insurance details your insurance company will probably wave the excess. BUT it'll go down against you as a partial fault claim until your company gets back costs from the truck company's insurance. And that could take 3-4 months (meanwhile they'll stuff you on your renewal).

My mate (used to work in claims for Aviva) told me it's better to go through the at fault party's insurance if they're admitting fault. Might not be so easy if it's a foreign company.

Also get a good repair shop, I'd run a mile from anything the insurance points you at, might make it trickier to get a car but it'll save a whole heap of grief.

Is that a (Recaro! ) car seat in the back? Could have been very nasty-I hope your kid wasn't in the car at the time? Watch out for nightmares if they were.... :S

Bad luck-hope it gets sorted without too much hassle.

To be fair to the foreign trucker (don't mix those two words up ), it must have been a difficult situation with blind spots etc.,-looks like he had the choice of hitting a truck or a car and he chose the softer option which unfortunately was you! :S

No excuse for not stopping though-that's bad form. :no: At least he did ring the cops after...

Yes it is a recaro car seat just dropped my son off at school 15 minutes before, I keep mixing up 'foreign truckers' quite a lot lately the driver said it wasn't safe for him to stop and he stopped further up the road but I didn't see him do that.

Aspman, already got a quote from a good local garage with state of the art kit and it was £1400+VAT without the 2 doors, wheel and accessories. My renewal is not until November so hopefully it would be sorted by then if I claim on my own insurance.

Make sure you tell your insurance company whats happened in case subsequently you have to claim from them. If you find his insurance co wont pay you are on a sticky wicket.

Did you get any witnesses ??

I had a small incident with a UK driver. She admitted liability, only a couple of hundred quid so decided to persue her insurance direct, it was a company insurance & initially the company refused to fill in the forms their insurer sent them. I pushed the insurance co & basically unless they admitted it in writing & without witnesses it was my work against hers. Thankfully it sorted itself

Make sure you tell your insurance company whats happened in case subsequently you have to claim from them. If you find his insurance co wont pay you are on a sticky wicket.

Did you get any witnesses ??

I had a small incident with a UK driver. She admitted liability, only a couple of hundred quid so decided to persue her insurance direct, it was a company insurance & initially the company refused to fill in the forms their insurer sent them. I pushed the insurance co & basically unless they admitted it in writing & without witnesses it was my work against hers. Thankfully it sorted itself

No witnesses, nobody stopped. I do have piece of paper from the driver which we both filled out and signed which is a standard practice on mainland Europe, it give me all his details and even a sketch by him of what happened. I am with Adrian Flux and they have been sorting everything out which is good.

No witnesses, nobody stopped. I do have piece of paper from the driver which we both filled out and signed which is a standard practice on mainland Europe, it give me all his details and even a sketch by him of what happened. I am with Adrian Flux and they have been sorting everything out which is good.

Sounds like you have things covered.

I trust also if you are having problems with your ankle you have taken advice on that

Sounds like you have things covered.

I trust also if you are having problems with your ankle you have taken advice on that

I hope so, the solicitor sent me to a doctor and they ask all the relevant questions I did have to tell him I wouldn't be able to go snowboarding now because it will hurt too much