Need some advice regarding a collision which occured today.

 

Was in a long queue at set of traffic lights and was parked for a good 20 seconds and all of a sudden a car goes straight in to the back of me. Mustn't have been concentrating or on his phone as it was a long queue of traffic and he probably never seen it !! 

 

I went flying forward and my seatbelt stopped me hitting the steering wheel. Must have been doing atleast 20 or 25. I feared my car would be pretty bruised up but when I got out amazingly only 1 parking sensor had fallen out and a small black mark. Now my only concern would be is there any structural damage which I cant see with out taking the bumper off. 

 

There was a bus lane on the road and I pulled in to that and mounted the kerb to let any buses pass. I was wondering I wont get a bus lane fine for pulling up there or is it a possibility? and if I do would it be easy to contest due to having a collision.

 

Any help in this stressful time would be really appreciated! 

The damage done to the car. 

Not sure about the damage to the underside of the bumper, may be worthwhile to get it checked, as for stopping in the bus lane, as long as no mobile camera knob heads drove by you should be fine (there's been cases local to me of learner drivers being ticketed for doing a reverse round corner, simply because the camera picked them up stopped on a corner of a junction)

Not sure about the damage to the underside of the bumper, may be worthwhile to get it checked, as for stopping in the bus lane, as long as no mobile camera knob heads drove by you should be fine (there's been cases local to me of learner drivers being ticketed for doing a reverse round corner, simply because the camera picked them up stopped on a corner of a junction)

 

Nope none drove past, do you reckon it would be worth going threw insurance? Im 19 nearly 20 so insurance is already expensive. Around 1200. 

 

A solicitor who is a family friend has said don't remove anything and to leave it as it is. I don't want to remove the bumper as there insurance might refuse to pay out then. 

Nope none drove past, do you reckon it would be worth going threw insurance? Im 19 nearly 20 so insurance is already expensive. Around 1200. 

 

A solicitor who is a family friend has said don't remove anything and to leave it as it is. I don't want to remove the bumper as there insurance might refuse to pay out then. 

Its difficult to say, from my view, if I was in your shoes I wouldn't declare it, in the long run the cost of repairing the car yourself could end up repaying you back as through the years insurance gets cheaper

From what I read you were hit from behind, any damage/repairs to your car would be paid for the the other party.

 

 

Let them pay for it

I think you are actually allowed to use a bus lane in these circumstances, and, as others have implied but not said straight out most "bus lane cameras" are actually mounted on the buses.

 

Regarding the damage, yes as Auric says the other driver is liable (end of) but most in-sewer-ants companies will argue that "because you were run into you are more likely to have another accident" and jack your premium anyway!

I was involved in an accident that was finally determined to be a non-fault accident.

 

Unfortunately it is still a black mark on your policy, although not your fault the insurance company marks you down as being involved in an accident. When renewing your insurance you have to answer 'yes' to the 'have you been involved in any accidents in the last 5 years' type question. Very annoying.

 

What has the other driver said? I wonder if they would be interested in paying you directly for the repair, this way they too avoid an insurance claim, especially if the cost of your repair works out less than their excess.

 

Either way it is worth paying a few quid to get the car properly looked at. There is a lot of collision absorbent parts behind the bumper, the reason for the lack of obvious cosmetic damage might be because the boot floor has absorbed the impact. Lift up the boot carpet and remove the spare wheel, any deformation?

 

Is that a hole in the lower right rear light cluster?

Edited 26 July, 201510 yr by silver1011

I was involved in an accident that was finally determined to be a non-fault accident.

 

Unfortunately it is still a black mark on your policy, although not your fault the insurance company marks you down as being involved in an accident. When renewing your insurance you have to answer 'yes' to the 'have you been involved in any accidents in the last 5 years' type question. Very annoying.

 

What has the other driver said? I wonder if they would be interested in paying you directly for the repair, this way they too avoid an insurance claim, especially if the cost of your repair works out less than their excess.

 

Either way it is worth paying a few quid to get the car properly looked at. There is a lot of collision absorbent parts behind the bumper, the reason for the lack of obvious cosmetic damage might be because the boot floor has absorbed the impact. Lift up the boot carpet and remove the spare wheel, any deformation?

 

Is that a hole in the lower right rear light cluster?

 

Yeah thats what I was thinking, Nope not had a chat with him but was thinking of ringing him tomorrow. How much money do you reckon I should ask off him?

 

Yeah something has definatley absorbed the impact, When you push on the bumper is does go in so it is flexible. Its obviously come back out again. I'll check under the boot carpet now. 

 

No not a hole, just some sort of glue i think. Been like that since i bought it and never touched it LOL, Might try take it off 1 day

It's hard to say how much without first knowing what the hidden damage (if any) is.

 

It will also depend on how you are with your cars. If you want it back to 100% perfect pre-collision damage then I suspect there will be some painting required?

 

If a professional polish removes the scuffs and you would be OK with having the parking sensor glued back into place (if the clips are broken) and if the bumper bar is not bent (or if you are happy with it staying bent) then I'd say a few hundred quid would cover it?

 

If however there is some serious structural damage, the boot floor is creased, the exhaust is bent etc. then I'd be looking to put it in for a professional bodyshop insurance approved repair.

All accidents you must notify your insurance whether you're going through them or not.  If not just say on the lines of, I am just notifying you I've been in an accident on this date, and this what happened.  However I'm not yet in a position to go ahead with any claims as of yet, but just phoning to notify you.

 

As for going in bus lanes I'm unsure of the law with that.

I doubt you'd get a ticket. Check for any CCTV in the area you never know if you think the person was on the phone CCTV may have picked this up

Need some advice regarding a collision which occured today.

 

Was in a long queue at set of traffic lights and was parked for a good 20 seconds and all of a sudden a car goes straight in to the back of me. Mustn't have been concentrating or on his phone as it was a long queue of traffic and he probably never seen it !! 

 

I went flying forward and my seatbelt stopped me hitting the steering wheel. Must have been doing atleast 20 or 25. I feared my car would be pretty bruised up but when I got out amazingly only 1 parking sensor had fallen out and a small black mark. Now my only concern would be is there any structural damage which I cant see with out taking the bumper off. 

 

There was a bus lane on the road and I pulled in to that and mounted the kerb to let any buses pass. I was wondering I wont get a bus lane fine for pulling up there or is it a possibility? and if I do would it be easy to contest due to having a collision.

 

Any help in this stressful time would be really appreciated! 

 

I was involved in a big accident recently and my car came off a lot worse than yours did!

 

You will have to notify your insurer and your premium may increase even if its not your fault. You have to notify new insurers that you've been in an accident too even though it's still not your fault.

 

Luckily in your case the liability is clear cut. If you do get fined you will be able to dispute the fine or at very least claim it back from your insurer. Did you go to hospital with any injuries? If so get an injury claim handler to sort that one for you! Also don't forget you can claim from the other insurer for things damaged inside the car too.

The issue with notifying the insurer is that even if you don't claim they will still mark you down as being involved in an accident and the premium is likely to increase come renewal time.

 

Might be worth checking the small print to see what it says.

Received a call from the guy who hit me and I asked him if he would consider settling this with out insurance and he refused. He seems to want to go threw insurance. 

 

His insurance rang me a few hours later and claimed that he had accepted liability and will be sending out a engineer and giving me a courtesy car as well (y) 

 

My solicitor is going to sort the claim out for my injuries. 

 

Ive been to the hospital as well and moaned about my neck pain to them. They just gave me some pain killers LOL 

 

I reckon most likely there going to write off the car.. How likely is it for cars that are worth around £2000?? 

Quite likely I'd assume. A guy at work had his Volvo knocked the other week, small scuff along the bumper, £2500 car written off. 

Received a call from the guy who hit me and I asked him if he would consider settling this with out insurance and he refused. He seems to want to go threw insurance. 

 

His insurance rang me a few hours later and claimed that he had accepted liability and will be sending out a engineer and giving me a courtesy car as well (y) 

 

My solicitor is going to sort the claim out for my injuries. 

 

Ive been to the hospital as well and moaned about my neck pain to them. They just gave me some pain killers LOL 

 

I reckon most likely there going to write off the car.. How likely is it for cars that are worth around £2000?? 

 

That's the perfect outcome really. Hopefully your insurer won't put your premium up for it! You do have to mention to your next insurer though that you have made a claim even though it was settled in your favour.

 

I'm glad to hear you went to the hospital with your neck pain :p The claims handler I would reccomend is Lyons Davidson (unless you're claiming against LV) http://www.lyonsdavidson.co.uk/personal-law/personal-injury-accident-claims/. Be sure to take the no win no fee route so that they don't claim the legal expenses from your policy. 

 

Don't forget you can try your luck with a hell of a lot on the claim. Anything you broke in your car during the accident: sat nav, speakers, phone, etc. You can even stick down your petrol and very recent repair bills. You can claim for loss of earnings, loss of enjoyment and any social engagements you missed out on because of the accident. You pay enough for your insurance each year and you end up paying more for careless drivers so at least make the most out of your claim!

 

You don't really want it written off if it's otherwise in good nick and can be repaired, otherwise you'll have to go out and find another one as good as yours and they will only pay out the market value of the car which might not cover any extra work you've put into it. An ideal outcome would be the car gets repaired and you get a grand or two compensation to enjoy spending on it

That's the perfect outcome really. Hopefully your insurer won't put your premium up for it! You do have to mention to your next insurer though that you have made a claim even though it was settled in your favour.

 

I'm glad to hear you went to the hospital with your neck pain :p The claims handler I would reccomend is Lyons Davidson (unless you're claiming against LV) http://www.lyonsdavidson.co.uk/personal-law/personal-injury-accident-claims/. Be sure to take the no win no fee route so that they don't claim the legal expenses from your policy. 

 

Don't forget you can try your luck with a hell of a lot on the claim. Anything you broke in your car during the accident: sat nav, speakers, phone, etc. You can even stick down your petrol and very recent repair bills. You can claim for loss of earnings, loss of enjoyment and any social engagements you missed out on because of the accident. You pay enough for your insurance each year and you end up paying more for careless drivers so at least make the most out of your claim!

 

You don't really want it written off if it's otherwise in good nick and can be repaired, otherwise you'll have to go out and find another one as good as yours and they will only pay out the market value of the car which might not cover any extra work you've put into it. An ideal outcome would be the car gets repaired and you get a grand or two compensation to enjoy spending on it

 

Yeah I know. Do I have to ring up my current insurer and let them know? Will they make me pay extra? 

 

Yeah I don't really want it written off, its had nearly £2000 spent on it in the last year ( previous owner ) so drives well good. If they write the car off do they take it away from you? 

Yeah I know. Do I have to ring up my current insurer and let them know? Will they make me pay extra? 

 

Yeah I don't really want it written off, its had nearly £2000 spent on it in the last year ( previous owner ) so drives well good. If they write the car off do they take it away from you? 

When a car is "written off", what is effectively happening is that the insurer is buying it from you for an agreed price (less any "excess"). They will then collect the car.

 

Depending on reasons for write off, and how much you think it will cost to repair, you may choose to make them an offer to "buy it back". If this is accepted, what will normally happen is that they'll reduce your settlement by your offer and not collect the car.

Yeah I know. Do I have to ring up my current insurer and let them know? Will they make me pay extra? 

 

Yeah I don't really want it written off, its had nearly £2000 spent on it in the last year ( previous owner ) so drives well good. If they write the car off do they take it away from you? 

 

Yup unfortunately. The law and the insurance terms and conditions require you to inform your insurer so I'd do that first thing tomorrow if I were you. Otherwise you might find they may decide to cancel your policy for not informing them which is known as an enforced cancellation. You'll also be required to tell your next insurer that not only have you had a claim (even though its not your fault) but you've also had a policy cancelled. Best to play it safe and let them know asap

You can be done for fraud if you really have no neck injuries, most insurance companies now send you through a company called argent that send you to registered  physios, they can tell within 1 minute if you are really injured or trying it on.  . If like me they asses its real you will have a course of physio  and then some compensation. A handler would look at the rear of your car and note the minimal impact you had, id be very careful with a compo claim for an injury you really do not have. 

You can be done for fraud if you really have no neck injuries, most insurance companies now send you through a company called argent that send you to registered  physios, they can tell within 1 minute if you are really injured or trying it on.  . If like me they asses its real you will have a course of physio  and then some compensation. A handler would look at the rear of your car and note the minimal impact you had, id be very careful with a compo claim for an injury you really do not have. 

 

My neck pain only lasted for about a week and by the time I had went to the referral I was already feeling fine. I just told them that I was feeling ok now and they gave me a look over just in case. My advice would be not to take the ****, but still go even if the pain only lasts a few days.

My neck pain only lasted for about a week and by the time I had went to the referral I was already feeling fine. I just told them that I was feeling ok now and they gave me a look over just in case. My advice would be not to take the ****, but still go even if the pain only lasts a few days.

. I was referring to the op , you look like you had a mayor hit , I had the retina detach from my eye but was hit nearer 40 mph

. I was referring to the op , you look like you had a mayor hit , I had the retina detach from my eye but was hit nearer 40 mph

 

Ouch! That's nasty! I hope you got some decent money for that. But I suppose you'd rather of not had the injury to begin with.

Yes indeed