Mum had a crash...

MisChief · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:05

Hi everyone

Someone crashed into the back of my mum's car this afternoon whilst she was stuck in traffic, and now I need some advice as to what I should do because we've never been in situations like this before..

I only arrived at the scene after the crash, but this is what she told me - the woman behind her approached quite fast and smashed into the back of my mum so hard that my mum hit the car in front..

The damage on my mum's car: whole of the rear bumper dented badly with one side pushed in against the rear wheel and plastic light cover thingys smashed, the front bumper has fallen off a bit with the bonnet raised slightly..

We've swapped insurance details etc with both the cars in front and behind. The car in front didn't receive much damage so she drove away, but my mum's car and the woman behind had to get our cars towed away. I forgot to take some photo's of the damage but the guy who towed it away said it probably can't be repaired

As my mum is the named driver on the insurance and my dad (main policy holder) is currently out of this country until Sunday, what should we do? Does the main policy holder have to call up? Or should my mum call up and let them know what happened first? Should the accident be reported within a certain amount of time like 24/48hrs?

My mum was pretty shocked when she got hit and was shaking a bit. Since then, she is now feeling mild pains/aches on the back of her neck.. Can she do anything about this?

The woman who crashed into her admitted that she was in the wrong.. However, she said 'the sun was really bright and I couldn't see your brake lights', when really, she was approaching the traffic too fast..

How does the claim process work? Does the woman in front claim from us, then we claim from the woman behind? and does this affect my dad's no claims bonuses as the main policy holder?

I'm so clueless as to what we should do now.. We couldn't call up to report the accident earlier on because the lines were closed. Now I need some advice from you guys so I can make some calls first thing tomorrow morning.

Thanks in advance,
Tina

Rilot · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:08

OK. The person in front claims from you. You claim from the person who hit you.
Your dad won't lose his NCB but he will have to pay the excess on the policy until he can claim it back from the person that hit you.

You should try and inform the insurance company yourselves. Even if you can't complete the report, they will then have a record of you reporting it.

[TW]Fox · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:10

MisChief said:
As my mum is the named driver on the insurance and my dad (main policy holder) is currently out of this country until Sunday, what should we do? Does the main policy holder have to call up? Or should my mum call up and let them know what happened first? Should the accident be reported within a certain amount of time like 24/48hrs?

Your Mum should telephone the insurance company simply to notify them of the accident.

Then give these guys a call:

http://www.helphire.co.uk

They can sort it all for you.

My mum was pretty shocked when she got hit and was shaking a bit. Since then, she is now feeling mild pains/aches on the back of her neck.. Can she do anything about this?

Yes, wait a couple of days and it'll go away, like it does when you trip over or something. Or do you have flashing pound signs in your head...

Fr0dders · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:13

MisChief said:
Does the main policy holder have to call up? Or should my mum call up and let them know what happened first? Should the accident be reported within a certain amount of time like 24/48hrs?

doesnt have to be the named policy holder. any of the named drivers can do it. Theres no fixed time limit, but as soon as possible. 2morrow morning will be fine.

MisChief said:
My mum was pretty shocked when she got hit and was shaking a bit. Since then, she is now feeling mild pains/aches on the back of her neck.. Can she do anything about this?

Yes get in touch with your insurance company and report it. You can claim back damages for medical injury.

MisChief said:
How does the claim process work? Does the woman in front claim from us, then we claim from the woman behind? and does this affect my dad's no claims bonuses as the main policy holder?

try and claim off the other persons insurance if you have the other persons name and insurance details.

the other persons insurance are very very unlikely to contest a rear collisions because its automatically them at fault

this avoids you having to pay an excess etc..

The other option is to claim on your own insurance, pay your excess, then get that back from the other persons insurance company, and let your insurance company chase the other to pay the repair bill. If the other company do pay out, then you dont lose your no claims

the other person will have to claim on their own insurance and lose their no claims unless its protected.

Chronos-X · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:13

If your mum was close enough to be the middle section of a concertina, she is liable.

[TW]Fox · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:14

Chronos-X said:
If your mum was close enough to be the middle section of a concertina, she is liable.

Absolutely rubbish.

Fr0dders · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:15

Chronos-X said:
If your mum was close enough to be the middle section of a concertina, she is liable.

codswollop

rear collision is automatically the persons behind fault

Rilot · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:15

[TW]Fox said:
Absolutely rubbish.

Indeed.

MisChief · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:17

[TW]Fox said:
Yes, wait a couple of days and it'll go away, like it does when you trip over or something. Or do you have flashing pound signs in your head...

My mum is 60yrs old and has heart problems.. I'm surprised that this accident didn't give her a heart attack or something and I'm just hoping that it wouldn't cause long-term damage to her back/neck.

benjo plz. · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:20

MisChief said:
I'm just hoping that it wouldn't cause long-term damage to her back/neck.

Whiplash maybe, but likely to be nothing much worse than that.

Fr0dders · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:24

Phnom_Penh said:
Whiplash maybe, but likely to be nothing much worse than that.

agreed

unless there was motorway speeds involved (which there wasnt) theres unlikely to be anything other than a bit of whiplash.

but get your mum checked out all the same, get a doctors appointment asap. Your insurance company will refer you to a specialist to be assessed for compensation payments, but this will take weeks.

[TW]Fox · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:26

MisChief said:
My mum is 60yrs old and has heart problems.. I'm surprised that this accident didn't give her a heart attack.

Oh do come on, she was hit in stationary traffic it wasn't a 100mph motorway pileup

Draeger · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:27

MrLOL said:
but get your mum checked out all the same, get a doctors appointment asap. Your insurance company will refer you to a specialist to be assessed for compensation payments, but this will take weeks.

Very good advice. Heed it.

Glad to hear yer mum wasn't seriously injured.

Fr0dders · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:29

Draeger said:
Very good advice. Heed it.

Glad to hear yer mum wasn't seriously injured.

i should know

im still waiting on 2.5ks worth of loss of income and compensation for my rear ending last september

tesco insurance is questionning everything. Have had to get about 4 separate letters from my work confirming everything in writing, they've required almost a years worth of payslips as proof and income and all sorts.

Trust me, with these things they dont move quickly.

Draeger · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:32

[TW]Fox said:
Oh do come on, she was hit in stationary traffic it wasn't a 100mph motorway pileup

Fox m8, you just never know when it comes to the human body.

I attended an RTA a few years back on the A9 involving an HGV and a Merc towing a caravan.

Merc had been hit from behind and the resulting weaving from the caravan had forced it off the road.

HGV was damaged, but not too much, the HGV driver was sat in the ambulance saying he was ok to begin with. No apparent injuries.

10 mins later, he's complaining he doesn't feel well and he has chest pains.

Seconds later he died in the ambulance from cardiac arrest brought on by the onset of severe shock. He was totally unmarked as far as physical injuries go.

willd58 · 6 Apr 2006 at 22:55

[TW]Fox said:
Oh do come on, she was hit in stationary traffic it wasn't a 100mph motorway pileup

Shes 60 Fox, ok you or i would come away unscathed, but she was hit hard enough to force her car foward into another car so im guessing she probably has whiplash or somthing to that effect, sue for it, ££££

Berger · 7 Apr 2006 at 01:11

willd58 said:
Shes 60 Fox, ok you or i would come away unscathed, but she was hit hard enough to force her car foward into another car so im guessing she probably has whiplash or somthing to that effect, sue for it, ££££

Closer to america every day.

willd58 · 7 Apr 2006 at 01:34

Berger said:
Closer to america every day.

Yea, cause i mean, who'd want there country to get closer to the worlds only super power, i mean, how dumb would that be!?!
Land of the free more like!

Matt82 · 7 Apr 2006 at 01:34

everyone out there is at it. ive got three of them in hearing alone tommorow.

the money is there available, id hate to see it all going to the scum bags, get out there and get some (keeps me in a job too)

willd58 · 7 Apr 2006 at 01:35

Matt82 said:
the money is there available, id hate to see it all going to the scum bags, get out there and get some (keeps me in a job too)

Exactly, youve been threw a lot of hassle, the other person should have to pay you money to make up for this.