Someone hit me - Advice please

[Jamz72]

Second time in 2 months

So basically it was 4:45pm (dark) and I was driving home from work through a village with some cars parked on the other side of the road. A car was coming towards me so I stopped just before the parked cars, so the oncoming car could dip back to her side of the road and I could carry on going. Turns out the oncoming car was being driven by a three million year old woman who I don't think could see over the steering wheel. She came straight for me so I held my horn but she didn't react at all and scraped my front bumper before carrying on driving off. I didn't even realise she'd made contact because I was holding the horn and didn't hear or feel it at the time. She was COMPLETELY oblivious to everything. She didn't hear my horn, didn't realise she'd hit me, probably didn't even realise I was there! Oh and she only had her sidelights on in the pitch black.

The next day I went into a local shop and found out who she was and where she lived. I also found out that a woman that works in the shop had seen her driving (and nearly taking out a cyclist) moments before she hit me. They also said she'd had numerous accidents before but the police hadn't done anything about them. I went round to the old woman's house and told her she'd hit me and she denied hitting me or even driving at all that day! But I did check her car and amongst lots of other dents and scrapes there is a nice white scrape right where she hit my car.. I've got a picture of it.

I spoke to the police and they have advised me to contact my insurance company, pay to have it fixed (because my excess is really high) and then the costs should be retrieved from the woman's insurance.

A couple of things worry me about this:

1. She is denying the entire thing so her insurance company might not reimburse me.
2. IF the witness agrees to co-operate (I haven't spoken to her directly yet), all she saw was the old woman driving, not actually hitting me.
3. Will my insurance company dictate which garage I go to to get it sorted? I'd like to choose my own if possible.
4. Is there any possibility that my insurance premium will go up?

Can anyone comment on the above please?

James

 

[RyanStevo]

1 and 2) If you have a witness, the case will more than likely be in your favour. What about shop CCTV in the area?

3) All depends on the insurance company. I know thats not really much of an answer but the major insurance companies will insist that they get it sorted for as cheap as they possibly can, and believe me they do try and cut corners. I remember watchdog investigated this, and they tried to tell a garage not to replace the bar in the door? Even though it was completly gone. Basically what protects the driver if someone hits the side of you.

4) Yes. Whoever says different is talking crap. Insurance companies always seem to up your premium even if the accident isnt your fault. It's a total con but thats the way they operate.

 

[nutnutwelshman]

Definitely go for the witness and any cctv and yes your insurance will go up so get on too the police she must have history and chat to the shop assist ie be a pain

 

[Stevoox]

Try and speak to the witness. If not will just be your word vs hers and probably end up going in circles with A) not much getting done and B) you have to pay out anyway.

People should be made to retake a OAPs test or something, just become a danger to themselves and others...

Dad followed a women who he said was about 4000 years old on his way home not so long back, said she bounced of every single car down this one road and scraped/took the wings mirrors of atleast 20 cars and just kept going...he went back to each house and gave them her reg

Good luck with it all!

 

[RyanStevo]

Try and speak to the witness. If not will just be your word vs hers and probably end up going in circles with A) not much getting done and B) you have to pay out anyway.

People should be made to retake a OAPs test or something, just become a danger to themselves and others...

Dad followed a women who he said was about 4000 years old on his way home not so long back, said she bounced of every single car down this one road and scraped/took the wings mirrors of atleast 20 cars and just kept going...he went back to each house and gave them her reg

Good luck with it all!

Me and my dad were driving down the highway near mine, just getting dark and we saw a Corsa B doing a 3 point turn in the middle of the highway. A ****ing 3 point turn!! Missed his turn off so just stopped, turned around and drove down the sliproad. Another 100 and something year old. We were actually sitting catching flies!

 

[Stevoox]

Me and my dad were driving down the highway near mine, just getting dark and we saw a Corsa B doing a 3 point turn in the middle of the highway. A ****ing 3 point turn!! Missed his turn off so just stopped, turned around and drove down the sliproad. Another 100 and something year old. We were actually sitting catching flies!

Similar the other week, saw some bint reversing down a slip road onto a dual carraige way. I sat and watched in amazement at her doing it all and nearly causing a HUGE pileup.

 

[RyanStevo]

I vote re-test. Old people think they're exempt from everything just because they're old and can't adjust to change.

 

[colwill197]

Yeah almost all insurers put up premiums for non fault accidents. Only one I have come across that didnt is Quinn. But they dont insure cars over insurance group 7 so not valid. If it just needs a respray unfortunately you will have to do it yourself. Either way you are going to have to pay so I would not go the insurance route. I would report it to the police as driving away from scene of accident. Only if you have concrete evidence. Can you park your car next to hers to prove its your paint on her car?

 

[JamieUK]

If it looked like there was no likelyhood of a legal resolution I'd be turning up at the house in the middle of the night and going vigilante with a can of spray paint - a few choice alternate words for a ladies front bottom would go down a treat - written down the panels of her car/roof/bonnet/etc. It would make me feel better anyway...

 

[Mentalpen]

A couple of things worry me about this:

1. She is denying the entire thing so her insurance company might not reimburse me.
2. IF the witness agrees to co-operate (I haven't spoken to her directly yet), all she saw was the old woman driving, not actually hitting me.
3. Will my insurance company dictate which garage I go to to get it sorted? I'd like to choose my own if possible.
4. Is there any possibility that my insurance premium will go up?

Can anyone comment on the above please?

James

Sorry to hear this James.

This happened to my wife and my sister in law so you are about to find out just how good your insurance is.

Firstly my wifes tale, she was revered into in a car park and was luckily in the car. She got out and the bloke started carrying on at her despite the fact that her car wasn't even on and he'd just revered back too far. After screaming and ranting at her he drove off. She rang me and i camled her down and told her not to worry and just come home.

I went to look at the car and there was a tiny (and i mean tiny 3" scratch right at the bottom of the bumper) scratch that even superman would have struggled to see. However as he had been such a tw@t i rung my then insurance company privilege. They took all the details over the phone. I got a letter after two weeks claiming he was not there and knew nothing off it and could i ring and describe him. So our lass told me what he looked like and i rung and told them.

I was told he would have 2 weeks to reply or his insurance would admit liability and i didn't have to pay excess and my insurance didn't go up at all and everything was sorted within 4 weeks.

My sister in law had a similar experience but was with tesco's, where the other party flat refused to reply. it took over 12 months to sort and she had to pay her excess although she eventually got it back. However her insurance went up as she had to declare a not yet settled claim.


So to answer your questions.

1. This will depend on how good your insurance is. some see it cheaper to just go 50-50 however if you have legal cover they are obliged to go after it if you so wish and if not but you have a credit card i believe you can actually use the legal cover you get with one of those to chase it.

2. i would leave the witness upto the insurance company and not speak to her. at least she can place her at the scene at the time.

3. under "block exception" you have the right to get your car fixed by a garage of your choosing but some policy's have an excess for this EG. my aviva policy is £200 but if you are not at fault i don't think this applies.

4. yes and no as i explained above.

My 2p why not ring renault accident support line, 0800 0850 8005 i've heard good things about them.

http://www.renault.co.uk/ownerservices/bodyshop/accident/

http://www.renault.co.uk/ownerservices/bodyshop/accident/faq/

 

[RyanStevo]

Dress up as grim reaper and stand at her front window. That'll scare the bint!

 

[Jamz72]

Thanks for all the responses guys.

In this case she definitely shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a car and I think a re-test would easily prove that.

No CCTV on that road as far a I'm aware and certainly not at the section where the accident was.

I might visit confused/money supermarket just to see what effect a no fault claim has on my premium.

Jamie, it would definitely make me feel better and I don't even think she'd notice! Win - win?

Mentalpen, really useful info thanks! I'll definitely give them a ring to see what they have to say.

 

[Jamz72]

Dress up as grim reaper and stand at her front window. That'll scare the bint!

Hahaha tempting!

 

[Jamz72]

Just did some online insurance quotes ahead of going down the insurance route and a no fault claim against my name puts up my premium by £400!

Though strangely, a fault claim against my name only puts up the premium by £220.

Unless I have it wrong.. when the quote details ask 'Was the driver at fault?' I put 'No' for a no fault quote and 'Yes' for a fault quote.

Either way it's ridiculous!!

 

[badbuzz2]

my insurance whent up when the cars were stolen its a real pain when its not your fault but we did find the second year the price went back down again close to how much we used to pay..

 

[Jamz72]

Yeah that's what I have been told, that if you go through your insurance company directly your renewal could go up in the period between when you started the claim to when it is completely resolved and closed, then it will go back down.

I have just rang the Renault Accident Support Line and I am very impressed so far. They have taken all details of the accident and they are currently deciding whether there is enough evidence to proceed as a no fault claim. If there is, there will be no need for me to declare this at all with future quotes (apparently) so my insurance will definitely not go up.

 

[colwill197]

I highly doubt thats true. You have to declare all accidents no matter what. Anything that involves any money being spent they want to know. For instance windscreen replacements, crashes with no damage. If an accident is reported to an insurer with you involved you have to disclose it. Otherwise if they catch on then your insurance is invalid.

 

[Jamz72]

I thought that too. But according to two guys I spoke to from Renault Accident Support Line that's not the case. So I don't know what to think.

And it's definitely not fair that my insurance would up by £400 due to someone else crashing into me and their insurance paying out, because it's cost my insurance company zilch!

I don't know what to do :\ I am going to do everything in my power to get the woman's licence taken away though, or at least reviewed by the DVLA or something because the more people I talk to around the village, the more stories I hear of her crashing in to people! Apparently she's been reported to the DVLA 4 times but nothing has been done. Unless she's driving illegally..

 

[colwill197]

Hi mate,

I feel your pain only worse. A week before my first insurance renewal with a clean license clean year so insurance was due to plummet someone pulled across me on a dual carriageway. I hit them wrote off my car and theirs beyond recognition.My insurance stayed about what it was the first year even though I had no claims and they admitted full liability. Car insurance's argument is that although normally accidents are settled 50/50 or full fault. In reality there is some blame on the "non fault party" although in your case you are 100% innocent most you are not.

The reason your insurance renewal is cheaper with a fault claim is it shows that you are more likely to settle using your own money rather than make them pay for small claims. Therefore reducing their risk.

 

[Jamz72]

Well Renault Accident Support Line rang me back today and said they didn't think there was enough evidence to proceed with a no fault claim on my part. This was mainly down to the woman saying that the white paint on her car is from a previous accident, not from my car

Even though the evidence I have is:

- A witness to her driving the car prior to hitting me (she's saying she wasn't driving at all that day).
- A witness to her driving in the dark with only sidelights on prior to hitting me.
- Matching damage on both our cars with my white paint clearly visible on her car.

So I can already prove that she's lying about one thing. But because she's also lying about the paint being from a previous accident it means she gets off scot-free!