Daughter's car hit from behind

[speedy1]

I know there is a similar topic locked on this forum but this ones a bit more complicated.

 

Its only happened this morning and i'm away from home so  details are sketchy.  My daughter was waiting at traffic lights in shrewsbury when her car was hit pretty hard from the rear,  it turns out that it was a taxi driver who had hit her, and  had in turn been hit by another driver and the force had pushed him into her corsa.

 

It appears at first inspection to be just a crack in the bumper, The Taxi driver who hit her has said he is going to pay for her damage but what I don't understand is, if he is going to claim off the guy who started the crash why wouldn't he just add Her damage to the claim? or does it not work like that?

 

another issue is she is in her first year of driving and has a black box fitted.  Will this have detected the crash and also should she inform her insurance company anyway?

 

I don't know if this changes anything but   coincidentally  about 4 police cars turned up directly behind the scene to stop a drink driver and one of them asked if she was ok and then went back to the drink driver. 

 

Many thanks

 

Tom

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Sounds far too complicated to keep it out of insurance, I'd just ring them up and let them deal with it all.

[meb90]

My understanding, which may be wrong, is that if someone hits you from behind it is their fault regardless of whether they were hit themselves. So you'd be claiming on the taxi's insurance. Please don't take this as gospel though.

 

Also, get your daughter's car checked properly, it may only look like a cracked bumper, but it could be hiding some more serious damage. Better to be safe

 

It does sound like a case that would be better left to the insurers though.

[Chriswright03]

Good advice from Matt.

[OctaBen]

The person at the back will be liable as they have pushed the taxi into your daughters car, she can confirm that if she only felt one impact.

Contact her insurance company and let them deal with it, it's not a case where I would accept a cash settlement

[mac11irl]

I thought it was taxi insurance pays your daughters damage, and then counter claims against the other drivers insurance.

Black bix would most likely have detected the impact via the g-meter, so tell them and let them sort it.

[speedy1]

I will get her or my wife to contact the insurerance asap

 

many Thanks

[Chriswright03]

If the Taxi was indeed pushed into your daughter's car by the impact from behind then the car driver behind will be responsible.  If however the taxi hit her car and then was hit behind each would have to sort it out but your daughter in any event needs to let the Insurance sort it out.

[speedy1]

If the Taxi was indeed pushed into your daughter's car by the impact from behind then the car driver behind will be responsible.  If however the taxi hit her car and then was hit behind each would have to sort it out but your daughter in any event needs to let the Insurance sort it out.

That's a very subtle but  important difference! I will ask her to tell me the story again.  I pretty sure they were both stationary and got hit by the third car. but I will double check.

[oilburninnut]

Sounds way too complicated to not go through the insurance.

[moley]

Notify he insurance company even though it's not her fault. I changed the wife's insurance last year and then received a letter saying they were cancelling the insurance because I had not correctly filled in the accident claims over the last five years. I phoned them up and asked what claim? They gave me a date about four years previously and I said we never had an accident, they came back with 'you had a windscreen replaced' Yes we did but it wasn't an accident. The insurance company said always state non fault claims such as windscreens, it made no difference to the cost of the policy. 

[Chriswright03]

That's a very subtle but  important difference! I will ask her to tell me the story again.  I pretty sure they were both stationary and got hit by the third car. but I will double check.

She probably won't know.  It would happen quite fast and her attention wouldn't maybe be towards the rear of the car.  What often happens is the second car stops quickly and the third car due to lack of attention or not leaving enough room cannot stop and pushes the second one into the first.  Or that is what the driver of the second car usually says if they are switched on enough!

 

In any event that is for them to sort out with their own Insurance companies.  It may be that one of the other parties has a dashcam and can show what happened,  None of this matters to your daughter as long as her car is sorted but she does need to inform her Insurance Company even if she is not claiming off them.

[Huskoda]

About 10 years ago I was the middle car in a similar incident. Me and the front car both claimed off the one who ran into me. The front guy did ring me a couple of days after the crash saying his neck hurts and what I am going to do about it. I told him to call the insurer of the car who hit me and hung up and nothing more came of it.

I work in vehicle telematics, part of that being insurance black boxes and I can tell you it will have registered so inform the insurer and get your story in.

[speedy1]

About 10 years ago I was the middle car in a similar incident. Me and the front car both claimed off the one who ran into me. The front guy did ring me a couple of days after the crash saying his neck hurts and what I am going to do about it. I told him to call the insurer of the car who hit me and hung up and nothing more came of it.

I work in vehicle telematics, part of that being insurance black boxes and I can tell you it will have registered so inform the insurer and get your story in.

thanks Huskoda

 

I was hoping someone with technical knowledge would be on the forum

[fabiamk2SE]

My understanding, which may be wrong, is that if someone hits you from behind it is their fault regardless of whether they were hit themselves. So you'd be claiming on the taxi's insurance. Please don't take this as gospel though.

Also, get your daughter's car checked properly, it may only look like a cracked bumper, but it could be hiding some more serious damage. Better to be safe

It does sound like a case that would be better left to the insurers though.

But in the case of a pile up.. I think its the last person in the queue

But again. Could be wrong.

It does sound abit complicated. Id let the insurance sort it too.

[BJM]

But in the case of a pile up.. I think its the last person in the queue

But again. Could be wrong.

It does sound abit complicated. Id let the insurance sort it too.

It falls under the Insurance definition of Proximate Cause - Google it if you want to.

Simply the liability is down to the person who's initial action caused the chain of events leading to the loss/damage (to be technical without any intervening action)

This is a simple and very common occurrence. The third driver is responsible and she would claim off him.

As matt says, notify her Insurers and let them sort it out.

(Not sure why the Taxi driver would offer to pay for her damage - seems a bit odd, particularly as most taxi drivers will say and do anything to avoid being held responsible)

[OctaBen]

Possibly because the taxi driver is driving without a licence or insurance and does not want himself brought into question....much easier to pay a few hundred quid and disappear again

[KenONeill]

As others, with the note that the taxi driver may have been stationary, but not applied his handbrake, resulting in car_3 driving his vehicle forward into the OP's daughter's car.

[Chriswright03]

As the amount of cars I sit behind have their brake lights on all the time they are stationary blinding me I suspect very few people actually apply the handbrake these days in stop start traffic.  If sat with the foot brake on a shunt from behind is highly likely to cause the driver to release the foot brake on impact causing the vehicle to move forward.  I guess we will never know.

 

With the taxi driver offering to pay I suspect he has in fact collided with the car first and then was hit from behind and was honest enough to admit it and not devious (or quick) enough to blame the car behind.

Edited 7 December, 2015 by Chriswright03

[WesBrooks]

A hand brake would not hold against the force of an impact from behind of another vehicle. If you bolted the wheels to the disc assuming the bolts didn't shear the tyres would slide. Your talking massive forces here even for minor impacts.

 

Hand brake is only for holding the car still and provides very little stopping force in these accidents.

 

Try pulling it on (without yanking it to lock the wheels) and seeing how long it takes to stop the car from a low speed.

 

Edit: I'm not trying to say holding on the foot brake is acceptable. I agree that hand/parking brake is the better than holding the brakes on. In terms of potential brake force the hill hold systems where you press hard on the brakes while stationary to engage them are probably best if they remain held in a collision. Do these systems keep the brake light on while the system is holding the brakes on?

Edited 7 December, 2015 by WesBrooks

[WesBrooks]

No point asking the driver to recall one or two impacts if the black box can recall g-force loading.

[Chriswright03]

I agree to an extent Wes but it does depend on the force of the impact.  There is also the distance between the cars to take into account and a whole load of stuff that we will never know about. In the end the advice on here about reporting it was what was asked for and the OP seems happy with that.

 

I suppose we are all just second guessing what went on and truth be told we will never now because we were not there.

[speedy1]

Hi everyone

 

yes very happy the advice, my wife rang them and then they asked to speak to my daughter, asked if she was ok and said if she needed any help or advice just to give them a call.

 

thanks again

[lfc958]

Sounds like in car cameras front & rear could be useful here.

 

I agree with all above, let insurance sort, & the fact that taxi driver offered to cover does seem VERY suspicious.

[punyXpress]

Caveat:

I know nothing about the law, but . . 

  3o seconds on 'tinterweb produced this:

 Each time a police officer responds to a call or makes an arrest, they write up a police report. These reports are stored for referencing later on. If you were involved in an accident you will want a copy of the police report to use in court.

It is from ehow, and there will be millions of others.

Worth a try?

Edited 8 December, 2015 by punyXpress