Insurance claim question!

[Ad1983]

Hi,

I had an 'accident' in my car last wednesday - in slow moving traffic on a motorway bridge I hit the car in front while looking in my mirrors to change into the lane on the left. I was travelling at around 10mph. I followed the car in front off the bridge and we pulled in and swapped details. We each looked at our cars (it was dark but we were under street lights) and neither car appeared to be damaged.

I had been worried following the car off the bridge as I saw that it was damaged at the back, however part of the dent looked to be too high up to have been caused by my car (BMW 1 series, is v low at the front). The girl driving the car pointed it out and said that that damage had been there before.

I have since been contacted by my insurance company and the other driver has alleged that as a result of the incident their car has a badly damaged bumper and the boot won't shut correctly. Given the speed at which the incident occurred and that my car is completely undamaged, this seems ridiculous...I think they are trying to get my insurance to pay to have the prior damage to their car fixed.

I have been advised by my insurance co that as I hit the car in front it is unlikely they wouldn't end up paying out something but that I can challenge the other driver's claim if it appears excessive. Also I will lose 2 years of no claims bonus.

I have not filled in my claim form yet, does anyone have any advice/comment?

Thanks.

[kalniel]

Did you say sorry to the girl, or in any way admit that hitting her was your fault? If so, you're screwed without any witnesses who can attest to the damage to the car existing prior to the shunt.

[Ad1983]

No I didn't say sorry, I was very conscious of not admitting liability. She actually apologised to me. The way Elephant put it, if I drove hit her from behind then it is my fault indisputably.

Would they send someone out to inspect the damage on both cars? I am worried that cost-wise there is no advantage to Elephant doing that as fixing a dent in a Fiesta is probably comparable cost-wise with putting in any further investigation.

[Chris P]

My girlfriend recently had an accident, where another driver slid on ice and hit the front of her whilst she was stationary and still claimed that it was her fault :/.

It can get very messy and if disputed can take a very long time to resolve.

Even though a minor collision you should always call the Police and wait for them no matter what because they will take statements and determine blame there and then, taking photos would have been a very good idea.

If you are certain that the collision could not have caused the damage to the other car then ask for Insurance to dispute the claim and take pictures of the damage to your car. it should not be difficult to prove if your car would have been able to cause the damage to the other car but don't expect a quick resolution and it's likely you will have to involve a solicitor to fight the case.

[AledJ]

Hi,

I had an 'accident' in my car last wednesday - in slow moving traffic on a motorway bridge I hit the car in front while looking in my mirrors to change into the lane on the left. I was travelling at around 10mph. I followed the car in front off the bridge and we pulled in and swapped details. We each looked at our cars (it was dark but we were under street lights) and neither car appeared to be damaged.

I had been worried following the car off the bridge as I saw that it was damaged at the back, however part of the dent looked to be too high up to have been caused by my car (BMW 1 series, is v low at the front). The girl driving the car pointed it out and said that that damage had been there before.

I have since been contacted by my insurance company and the other driver has alleged that as a result of the incident their car has a badly damaged bumper and the boot won't shut correctly. Given the speed at which the incident occurred and that my car is completely undamaged, this seems ridiculous...I think they are trying to get my insurance to pay to have the prior damage to their car fixed.

I have been advised by my insurance co that as I hit the car in front it is unlikely they wouldn't end up paying out something but that I can challenge the other driver's claim if it appears excessive. Also I will lose 2 years of no claims bonus.

I have not filled in my claim form yet, does anyone have any advice/comment?

Thanks.

About the boot damage- Start of January i had stopped at light to let an ambulance pass by from my right. Just after i stopped a taxi went into the back of me, and must have been around 10mph. Only damage I saw at the time was cracked bumper. But next day i opened the boot and then it would not shut. When it was inspected the guy said that the hit had caused the problem with the boot. So it is a possibility that as a result of the accident the boot is damaged.

[Ad1983]

Hmm..okay, that makes me less disbelieving of the other driver's claim. Thanks for the replies.

[Barakka]

Quite common on modern cars, I was hit from behind a few years ago and the only visible damage was a crack about 12" long, but the boot floor was knackered, the spare wheel was totally stuck in place. The big plastic bumpers used these days bend quite a lot allowing damage to the panel behind, and then pop back out looking like minimal damage.

[teachmech]

Having had a bump at a roundabout I called the police and when they arrived all they did was ensure we had exchanged details and wanted no further part they would not discuss fault. Ended up as 50/50.

[Chris P]

Having had a bump at a roundabout I called the police and when they arrived all they did was ensure we had exchanged details and wanted no further part they would not discuss fault. Ended up as 50/50.

The Police should at least take statements, so either the Girl's comments to original poster said she made:

"The girl driving the car pointed it out and said that that damage had been there before. "

Would have been recorded ...

50/50 offer's are always made by the third party insurers to start off with as standard and should always be rejected if you are confident that the accident was not your fault.