Car Accident/Insurance claim

[Dagenham Rover]

Probably scare tactics, Just make sure you pass everything you recieve to your insurers and at least note date and time of any phonecalls and the content if possible record them.
Let your insurers/legal dept deal

[MrFrost]

BillyStubbsTears wrote:

Not sure this is of any help, but here's my experience.

About 20 years ago, someone ploughed into the back of my car after I stopped suddenly to avoid a motorcyclist who had come off his bike on a greasy road. Back end of my car was stoved in, car was written off.

I felt fine at the time, but my neck seized up during the rest of the day and by the end of the day I couldn't move it. Called my insurance company and they utterly insisted that I report the accident to the police, as a personal injury was involved. Went the to plod, who were highly skeptical, and did their best to find out if I was making it up (e.g. copper speaking to me suddenly moved round to the side of me to see if I could turn my head to follow him). A week later, my insurance company sent me to a specialist on Thorne Road for an assessment. This had been agreed between the two insurance companies.

The point is that, all the way through the process, there were checks, insisted on by my own insurance company and, apparently, the agreement of the other side.

Your case sounds like something very fishy going on. As for the insurance company contacting you directly, they are simply trying to pressurise you into admitting liability. Say nothing on that topic. keep a note of all contact with them and forward this to your insurance company immediatley. Also, make damn sure that you have a detailed record of exactly what happened at the accident scene, and STICK TO THAT STORY. If this does go to court, a lot will depend on the credibility of the witnesses from both sides. You will seem much more credible if you have a simple and believable story.

On that topic, did you inform your insurance company of the accident straightaway - i.e. before the other side's insurance started spinning this tale about it being a man driving? If you did, THAT will go a long way to support your side of the story - why should you have made that up? That, plus the relative lack of damage to the other party's car will all start to weigh very heavily in your favour. And if it turns out that the woman in question wasn't qualified/insured to drive (which would come out if this goes to court), your story starts to look very strong compared to theirs. How could you possibly have known that, so again, why make up your story?

Good luck. I hate this sort of leeching vermin with a vengeance. If there's any justice, they might even end up serving time for perjury and fraud!

Yes, I called my insurers within 10 minutes of it happening and gave them fulll details.
Just to clarify, it was my insurers who called me this morning, asking if I would be happy to appear in court. It sounds like they think its all a bit strange too.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Section 170 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act legally requires drivers to, \"...stop and, if required to do so by any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring, give his name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle.\"

But there's a get out. If you DON'T do this, you are covered as long as you \"report\" the accident. This is an obvious get out - as in your case, the actual driver can refuse to give details, then when they report the accident, they can make up an entirely different story.

Not much help to you now of course, but there are some obvious things you should do to stop this kind of abuse. Personally, in the event of an accident, I'd turn on the voice recorder of my phone, and make sure that I could be heard clearly, and repeatedly trying to exchange details with the other party. I'd make sure I photographed the damage to both vehicles, and idewally try to make sure that the other driver was in one of the photos. If the other driver was in any way obstructive, i would go straight to the police. Even if they don't do anything, at least it is on record that you have reported your concerns immediately. That would weigh very heavily in your favour in any subsequent actions.

[BillyStubbsTears]

MrFrost wrote:

BillyStubbsTears wrote:

Not sure this is of any help, but here's my experience.

About 20 years ago, someone ploughed into the back of my car after I stopped suddenly to avoid a motorcyclist who had come off his bike on a greasy road. Back end of my car was stoved in, car was written off.

I felt fine at the time, but my neck seized up during the rest of the day and by the end of the day I couldn't move it. Called my insurance company and they utterly insisted that I report the accident to the police, as a personal injury was involved. Went the to plod, who were highly skeptical, and did their best to find out if I was making it up (e.g. copper speaking to me suddenly moved round to the side of me to see if I could turn my head to follow him). A week later, my insurance company sent me to a specialist on Thorne Road for an assessment. This had been agreed between the two insurance companies.

The point is that, all the way through the process, there were checks, insisted on by my own insurance company and, apparently, the agreement of the other side.

Your case sounds like something very fishy going on. As for the insurance company contacting you directly, they are simply trying to pressurise you into admitting liability. Say nothing on that topic. keep a note of all contact with them and forward this to your insurance company immediatley. Also, make damn sure that you have a detailed record of exactly what happened at the accident scene, and STICK TO THAT STORY. If this does go to court, a lot will depend on the credibility of the witnesses from both sides. You will seem much more credible if you have a simple and believable story.

On that topic, did you inform your insurance company of the accident straightaway - i.e. before the other side's insurance started spinning this tale about it being a man driving? If you did, THAT will go a long way to support your side of the story - why should you have made that up? That, plus the relative lack of damage to the other party's car will all start to weigh very heavily in your favour. And if it turns out that the woman in question wasn't qualified/insured to drive (which would come out if this goes to court), your story starts to look very strong compared to theirs. How could you possibly have known that, so again, why make up your story?

Good luck. I hate this sort of leeching vermin with a vengeance. If there's any justice, they might even end up serving time for perjury and fraud!

Yes, I called my insurers within 10 minutes of it happening and gave them fulll details.
Just to clarify, it was my insurers who called me this morning, asking if I would be happy to appear in court. It sounds like they think its all a bit strange too.

OK. That sounds better. Sounds like your insurers are playing hard ball and seeing if the other side will back down when they realise that you are prepared to go to court.

[Filo]

BillyStubbsTears wrote:

Section 170 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act legally requires drivers to, \"...stop and, if required to do so by any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring, give his name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle.\"

But there's a get out. If you DON'T do this, you are covered as long as you \"report\" the accident. This is an obvious get out - as in your case, the actual driver can refuse to give details, then when they report the accident, they can make up an entirely different story.

Not much help to you now of course, but there are some obvious things you should do to stop this kind of abuse. Personally, in the event of an accident, I'd turn on the voice recorder of my phone, and make sure that I could be heard clearly, and repeatedly trying to exchange details with the other party. I'd make sure I photographed the damage to both vehicles, and idewally try to make sure that the other driver was in one of the photos. If the other driver was in any way obstructive, i would go straight to the police. Even if they don't do anything, at least it is on record that you have reported your concerns immediately. That would weigh very heavily in your favour in any subsequent actions.

Was that a Jonathon Woss moment?