Car Insurance advice needed

WaynelleUK09

WaynelleUK09

WaynelleUK09

Associate
Joined
29 Nov 2009
Posts
612
Location
South Shields
Just looking for a bit of advice from anyone who's been in a similar position...

So our car was hit through the night on Saturday, there was white paint on the car which lead us to believe it could be our neighbour across the road who has a white car. We approached her about it last night and showed her damage on both her car and ours and she admitted that her and her friends had been drinking the night before and one of her friends got in her car and reversed into ours. They've hit our front passenger wheel arch, so much so that the passenger door won't open!

She knocked this morning and told us that her friend has admitted it and will pay for the damage and call to see us this afternoon to sort it out, she gave us their name and telephone number, I asked if her friend was insured to drive her car, she said she doesn't know. There has been no visit from her friend and they're also ignoring our calls and texts so I went back to see our neighbour, things got a bit heated as she said she feels like we're on her back all the time and believes that none of this is her problem, she's now saying that we have no proof it was them who hit the car. I've now informed the police as they are becoming quite threatening, sending her family to the door.

Anyway, we're going to call our insurance company tomorrow to put a claim in and I will also give them her details so that mine and her insurance company can battle it out amongst themselves as to who's liable to cover the costs. Has anyone been in a similar position where the third party has had a sudden change of heart and its your word against theirs? If so, what was the outcome?

I'm not sure exactly how much proof insurance companies need for these things, but I have texts in my phone to her alleged friend which I wouldn't have, had she not have admitted to it all, and also photos of damage to both cars.

We obviously don't want to foot the bill for reckless drink-drivers :(
 
Texts to her friend
Include any admissions of guilt?
If not proves nothing except you texted them presumably accusing them
Probably realised that
1~would be admitting drink driving
2~going to be a pretty expensive repair especially if done by insurance company
If your neighbours gave the friend the car key/permission
Then yeah you are right to go back to their door since it's their fault too
If they didn't and person did it with out their permission or knowledge
Then can see why they might get annoyed you went back to them
After they gave you the person responsibles details
Though that means their friend took the car with out consent
Which should be a police matter
And yeah you shouldn't have to foot
The bill
Hope it gets sorted out for you
 
No we have had no response from her friend.
She told us that her friend took the car to get some milk from the shop because she was over the limit and not able to go herself.

She also told us that if the police get involved then she'll just tell them that he took her keys without her consent so that he gets the wrath for it and not her. So she knew fine well that her friend was taking the car with no idea about whether they were insured or not.
She promised that it would be sorted by the end of the day, hence why I went back to her door when we hadn't heard from either of them.
 
Sounds like you have no presentable evidence. There is no way your insurance company has any basis to force the other insurance company to pay.

The other party seems to be saying stupid things if they are trying to avoid the situation. They should just stay silent.

Not sure what you expect the police to do tbh.
 
Anecdotal evidence of what an insurance company can do:
My brother used to park his car in a street away from home where the permit holder bays were.

One day he went up to his car and it had 2 large dents and several scrapes in the door and the wing. There was a note on the car, not from the driver that hit him, but from someone who had witnessed it. The note had the registration of the alleged perpetrator who had left the scene.

My brother claimed on his insurance and they managed to trace the person responsible through the registration and by using paint analysis where the impacts occurred, managed to link the 2 cars together and get the claim settled by the other drivers insurance.

I'd probably not clean off the paint transfer if I were you.
 
WaynelleUK09 said:
No we have had no response from her friend.
She told us that her friend took the car to get some milk from the shop because she was over the limit and not able to go herself.

She also told us that if the police get involved then she'll just tell them that he took her keys without her consent so that he gets the wrath for it and not her. So she knew fine well that her friend was taking the car with no idea about whether they were insured or not.
She promised that it would be sorted by the end of the day, hence why I went back to her door when we hadn't heard from either of them.
Click to expand...
As ezekial said
Don't wipe their paint off your car
Or if you did recover the cloth
You used
Insurance companies will put more effort into it than its actually worth
Even if it costs them money
It's the serving notice that people won't get away with it
if they think it's fraud that matters to them
Unfortunate its a neighbour involved as may lead to bad blood
But hey that's their fault not yours
 
As soon as she admitted that they were both drunk and hit your car. Why didn't you phone the police there and then as soon as you got home?

They could have hit a person or a child?

I bet you she would have confessed if 5 mins later coppers had shown up. But now her boyfriend has told her to keep quiet and ignore you as you can't prove anything. So she has now been trained how to avoid dropping both of them in it.

You should have phoned the police before he told her what to do and say.
 
I think they spoke to the neighbour
The evening /night after
Not at the time it occurred
Though I may be wrong as cant manage
Those big blocks of text very well
But think there was a bit where
It said admitted drinking the night before
 
you can either call the neighbours bluff....tell them you've spoken with your insurer and they are insistent on getting the police involved and that with the paint transfer on your vehicle from hers it will be an open and shut case. but you'd rather not put everyone through all that hassle (cause you're a nice guy and want to remain amicable) but you need the friend to get the damage sorted.

or

just ring the police and let them deal with it (assuming you haven't removed the white paint on your car) folk on here like to moan on about the police but with the paint transfer and corresponding damage to her car it'll be a nice simple job for them.
 
I would be inclined to take photos of any damage to both cars and then just claim on your insurance, giving her registration number as the causing vehicle. The insurance company will then contact hers, who will then contact her. She will then have to make the decision on whether to drop her friend in the poo or not.

There is a strong possibility you may end up with the money not recovered and having it come off your own insurance. But I see that as the keast hassle getting yours fixed and the awkward decision of who to chase for money then goes to the insurance companies.
 
Sorry for the late reply

We never spoke to her at the time of the accident - it was the following day when we noticed the damage, and although she admitted liability and seemed to want to cooperate - I still rang the police to report it but they weren;t interested and told us to call back if she starts being awkward and refuses to exchange details or pay for the damage.

I have spoke to the police again today who are still saying that its the insurance company who need to deal with it - he said its pointless them getting involved as its all hearsay and she will likely deny it! In my opinion though, whether he believes that or not, they should still be getting involved in this as she may well admit to doing it or incriminate herself somehow, I guess they don't think its worth the paperwork.

Anyway, my insurance company are fairly confident that her insurer will have to cover the claim as she admitted it and I have photos of damage on both cars and the paint from her car is still on ours too.

All we can do is keep our fingers crossed that this whole thing goes our way :(
 
EssexBoy said:
If i was them i would be getting the t cut out so hopefully they won't think ahead.
Click to expand...
Insurers are muppets anyway. When I claimed from a driver who hit my car in a car park and then denied it I told them the location of damage to their clients car (nearside front wing). They sent their assessor round to both cars and then told me "We visited and found no damage to the drivers side rear wing". I had to insist they go back and inspect the car a second time... correctly. Then they agreed there was damage.
 
My understanding is that you could prove your case by having your insurer inspect damage. If it's clear cut to establish what happened they they will pursue the other party. Most likely once it gets that far they will just accept the claim on their policy. Their insurer won't want to pay, but it will want to fork out loads on legal and then end up paying anyway, even less. So, if there is proof they most likely won't contest.
 
Speak to your neighbour about it again and try and record the conversation secretly. After the conversation has ended put the recording in a safe place and then let her know you have it recorded and will be forwarding it to the insurance and the police now if she doesn’t cooperate fully. She may be more willing to cooperate then.
 
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