Advice for a friend - insurance claim

[Rids]

I'll try and give the bare bones facts here, would appreciate some advice.

Friend owns an old Fiesta, worth around £600, parked outside her house on Friday night.

On Friday hears crash, gos outside and the white van owned by her neighbours is now parked in her spot, her car has been shunted 5 meters down the road. Neighbour from 3 doors along has slammed into the van, which has shunted into her Fiesta.

I'm waiting pictures but from what I gather, the Fiesta is in a bad way, boot caved in and chasis twisted. It obviously doesn't take much to write it off given its lack of value.

Van is also in a bad way, back and front are both caved in but as its relatively new it probably won't be written off.

Car that did the deed is a 2 month old C-Class Merc.

Neighbour responsible admitted liability at the time, offered to either get the car (and van) fixed away from insurance, or they could claim through insurance.

Owned of the van just wants the van fixed so wants to avoid the insurance route.

My friend doesn't want the Fiesta fixed, to put it right would cost more than the car is worth if done via a proper garage. The owner of the C-Class wants to get it fixed by one of his friends, who owns a scrap dealers, she isn't confident that the work would be completed to a safe standard.

Here is where it gets more complicated, the C-Class was insured on a fleet policy owned and operated by the drivers father. They have refused to supply insurance details, and have threatened that if they attempt to take it via the insurance they'll have the car picked up while they're sleeping and have it crushed.

Also if she wants to claim off the insurance, am I right in saying she has to claim off the insurance of the owned of the van, who would then have to claim from the party responsible?

She has a made a reasonable offer to the driver that she would take £650 as she can source a similar car for that amount, but was told that they wouldn't even be willing to give her half of that.

Any ideas?

 

[muon]

Take photos of everything (hopefully have loads from the day). Tell your insurance company and phone the police and explain the situation to them.

I don't even understand why people are even contemplating waiting when clearly insurance fraud has occurred.

Tell your insurance company and police asap. Not doing so can only hurt you later.

Your insurance company will automatically pull their insurance details via MID and contact them. That is what they are there for. To help you in these situations.

Think about how much time your friend has already wasted on this situation. Not worth the hassle, leave it to the people who are paid to deal with this kind of thing.

 

[Iamzod]

You can find out who the insurer is on the AskMID site for about £4, I've used it myself.

That said, don't they legally have to give their details? i'd be on the phone to the police straight away personally.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Sounds like the car will be written off from the above.

So they've refused to supply insurance details and left the scene also?
Then went on to say if you go through insurance they will effectively steal the vehicle?

Option 1: Replace vehicle
Option 2: Repairs at a garage of your choice (not shady back hand friend)
Option 3: Go via their insurance

Obviosuly, if they've refused to supply insurance details then it's popo time

Stationary vehicles
Clear dangerous driving
Must been a fair old wallop to shunt THROUGH a van and hoof another vehicle 5m

 

[muon]

You can find out who the insurer is on the AskMID site for about £4, I've used it myself.

That said, don't they legally have to give their details? i'd be on the phone to the police straight away personally.

If not for that, but also because they have threatened to crush your car.

Why on earth would you continue to deal with these people.

This is a very dodgy situation. Do everything by the book.

 

[Rids]

That mirrors the advice that I've given, its unfortunate that it means the van driver wont be able to avoid the insurance route, but the fault is not hers but the ******* of a third party.

 

[chaparral]

Any ideas?

I say go straight to the police and her insurance company...
Wouldn't even try working out anything with the C-Class Merc driver...

Was the merc driver also been drinking or was drunk ??? As it seems strange to of done this only a few doors down from his house.

 

[Dav4]

Guy sounds a proper idiot. Go to the police with your friend and tell them he won't provide details and is threatening her. They should be straight round to his house for that! I hate bullies like that and they need to be thought a lesson.

 

[Trig]

talk to the other neighbour, tell them that you have no choice but to go through insurance due to what has been said by the other party.

Get some cameras up, they sound like the kind of people that might decide to do something else, not that that is an excuse to let them get away with stuff.

 

[geekman]

Forgetting about the Fiesta for the moment, if he's severely damaged a modern van and the new C class, the cost to repair them will be way higher than the increased insurance, even if he gets his mates to do it.

The fact he's not wanting to go through insurance for a claim of that size makes it pretty much certain he's not insured IMO.

 

[Uther]

Forgetting about the Fiesta for the moment, if he's severely damaged a modern van and the new C class, the cost to repair them will be way higher than the increased insurance, even if he gets his mates to do it.

The fact he's not wanting to go through insurance for a claim of that size makes it pretty much certain he's not insured IMO.

He's certainly an idiot then for not offering to pay for the Fiesta. Sounds like a real scumbag TBH, horrible situation for your friend.

 

[Trig]

Hence my camera suggestion...

Might be worth popping round with a mic and record the conversation...

 

[Gaygle]

Negotiations of any kind should be off the table. You are dealing with someone who is clearly a moron so you need to do everything to the letter of the law. Get insurance involved, inform him that he is obliged to provide you with insurance details as you are someone who reasonably needs them. If he does not, you can report it to the police.

 

[Rids]

Have relayed to her all of the above, the guy is clearly a moron.

Apparently the driver was just moving the car, its an automatic, went to put foot on the break so it didn't creep forward and hit the accelerator instead. I said that sounds like crap to me, would have to be travelling at a fair old whack to move a fully loaded van with its handbreak on AND her Fiesta that also had its handbreak on over 5 metres.

Still waiting for pictures, apparently she took a load of pictures the next day but none at the time, as the guy was completely reasonable when it happened, and she figured since they were neighbours and their kids play together he wasn't going to be an asshat.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Here is where it gets more complicated, the C-Class was insured on a fleet policy owned and operated by the drivers father. They have refused to supply insurance details, and have threatened that if they attempt to take it via the insurance they'll have the car picked up while they're sleeping and have it crushed.

Phone the police
Call the insurance

why do people try and resolve big incidents like this away from insurance - nine times out of ten your going to be shafted more.

She has a made a reasonable offer to the driver that she would take £650 as she can source a similar car for that amount

this is stupidity in action.

 

[IAmATeaf]

So is the driver of the Merc a neighbour? Are you sure they weren't drunk when the accident happened?

As others have already stated, get your friend to call the police, tell them everything that has happened then get on the phone to the insurance company, again tell all. I'd also be talking to the van owner/driver to see what has been said to them.

 

[booyaka]

Sounds suspiciously like a drunk driver to me.....you don't accidentally ram a transit van so hard the it wrecks the car in front by "accidentally" hitting the accelerator!!!

Anyway - as above - get pictures as much as possible, don't deal with them verbally - ask for everything in writing, speak to the police about the incident as well as the threatening behavior of the merc driver/family etc.

Good luck - sounds messy!

 

[geekman]

So is the driver of the Merc a neighbour? Are you sure they weren't drunk when the accident happened?

As others have already stated, get your friend to call the police, tell them everything that has happened then get on the phone to the insurance company, again tell all. I'd also be talking to the van owner/driver to see what has been said to them.

Even if they were drunk when it happened, it's far too late now for the police to do anything about it, so that doesn't explain their reluctance to use insurance. They sound like 3.14keys, bet they're not insured.

 

[Rids]

So is the driver of the Merc a neighbour? Are you sure they weren't drunk when the accident happened?

As others have already stated, get your friend to call the police, tell them everything that has happened then get on the phone to the insurance company, again tell all. I'd also be talking to the van owner/driver to see what has been said to them.

From what I understand the driver of the Merc lives 3 doors up.

She has spoken to the van owner, they have been absolutely fine with him, no threats, but then again he is doing what they want by giving them the opportunity to fix the van for him. They're only being arsey with my friend because she doesn't want a botched fix on a car that is used to transport her children.

Am I right in saying that going the insurance route means the claim would go against the van owner in the first instance and then their insurance company would then seek to recover from the party at fault?

I've told her to do an askMID check on the Merc, and to notify the police of the accident the failure to supply details as well as informing them of the threats that have been made.

(Am I the only that finds it strange the owner of a £30k Merc is going to threaten to do something to a £600 Fiesta? Surely they've a hell of a lot more to lose?)

Stay tuned for hopefully more exciting developments.

 

[Jamesyboyjim]

Well, I suppose you and the merc owner could technically ignore the fact the van was involved and say the merc hit the fiesta directly but I suspect that would count as fraud.