Who to claim against in a multiple car pile up?

Iamzod · 25 Jan 2017 at 21:14

My brothers GF was on her way home tonight & was sat minding her own business at a red light when a Parcelforce van decided to smash into the car behind her, this was then followed by what from the pics I have seen looks like a 40 ton Royal Mail articulated lorry.

Now normally in this instance i'd be saying she should claim from the person that hit her as I have done myself in the past however the person that hit her didn't cause the accident so who does she direct her claim towards?

If any of you are in Sheffield and got held up due to an accident on the viaduct near Meadowhall, this is why.

edit-

Blurry image for those interested -

GeX · 25 Jan 2017 at 21:17

It just moves back up the chain doesn't it, she claims off Parcel Farce and they claim off Royal Fail (same company anyway aren't they?).

Iamzod · 25 Jan 2017 at 21:25

GeX said:
It just moves back up the chain doesn't it, she claims off Parcel Farce and they claim off Royal Fail (same company anyway aren't they?).

Yeah, if the van hit her it'd be more of a simple situation as i'd imagine the van & truck are on some kind of fleet policy but there was a car between them.

Meridian · 25 Jan 2017 at 21:56

You still claim against who hit you. They in turn claim off whoever hit them and so on. All this adjusting normally goes on in the background in any claim. In this case the claim would appear to be against both the drivers, but mainly the Parcelfarce van as that's the one that actually hit her. The RM could argue that they only hit the Parcelfarce van, and that the car would not have been damaged if the van hadn't hit the car first. But it doesn't matter because you claim against the person driving the vehicle which struck yours. Or, strictly speaking, you tell your insurers and then stay the **** out of it.

On Holiday · 25 Jan 2017 at 23:30

Man that sucks, increased premiums for something genuinely unavoidable.

Hope it gets resolved without too much hassle.

adolf hamster · 25 Jan 2017 at 23:54

Guess you claim against the van, but make it clear your opinion is the lorry was the cause of the accident and leave the insurance to it.

acemastr · 26 Jan 2017 at 03:46

Meridian said:
You still claim against who hit you. They in turn claim off whoever hit them and so on. All this adjusting normally goes on in the background in any claim. In this case the claim would appear to be against both the drivers, but mainly the Parcelfarce van as that's the one that actually hit her. The RM could argue that they only hit the Parcelfarce van, and that the car would not have been damaged if the van hadn't hit the car first. But it doesn't matter because you claim against the person driving the vehicle which struck yours. Or, strictly speaking, you tell your insurers and then stay the **** out of it.

This

paradigm · 26 Jan 2017 at 06:20

So to be clear, given the OP states that the car BEHIND her was hit by the van, she claims off the CAR BEHIND HER. Not the van.

cheesyboy · 26 Jan 2017 at 06:29

Surely the sandwiched car doesn't get a claim against it?!

Bear · 26 Jan 2017 at 06:39

cheesyboy said:
Surely the sandwiched car doesn't get a claim against it?!

I'm almost certain they do get a claim against them and they in turn claim against RM, it just goes like a chain unfortunately.

Armageus · 26 Jan 2017 at 06:54

Or maybe ring your insurer, give them all the details of everyone involved and they will argue amongst themselves as to who is paying out.

byeo · 26 Jan 2017 at 07:02

Iamzod said:
If any of you are in Sheffield and got held up due to an accident on the viaduct near Meadowhall, this is

Opening this thread expecting to see this pile up, video was going around FB last night. Speeds people go on the lower level can be too fast.

adolf hamster · 26 Jan 2017 at 10:08

paradigm said:
So to be clear, given the OP states that the car BEHIND her was hit by the van, she claims off the CAR BEHIND HER. Not the van.

Good point well made

GhostWKD · 26 Jan 2017 at 10:09

Bear said:
I'm almost certain they do get a claim against them and they in turn claim against RM, it just goes like a chain unfortunately.

Yes and no - the claim goes to them but they then pass it up the chain (so no fault claim registered etc)

I got hit once in the back by a car which then pushed me into the car infront.

Was incredibly stressful (made worse by the car infront getting out and going bat... crazy at me not the guy who hit me). But Insurance sorted it all. Basically front car put in a claim to my insurance who then forwarded it as part of my claim to the person who actually caused the accident.

Worst part was my Cinquecento ended up 10" shorter than it should've been, car behind had a cracked bumper and the car infront a cracked number plate lol.

Hotwired · 26 Jan 2017 at 10:11

Sounds like fun being tailgated by a 40 ton lorry.

IAmATeaf · 26 Jan 2017 at 10:57

Was there a depot nearby? There's a depot near me and whenever I've been there the guys in their lorries and van seem to make it their mission to drive as quickly/fast as they can against each other, sort of like a RM Wacky Races.

Finglonga · 26 Jan 2017 at 11:03

Had the same happen to me years ago. You claim from the car directly behind you. The car in front of me claimed off me for damage caused when I was pushed into him.

The insurance companies then sort out the claims from the crash reports they got from witnesses.

Iamzod · 26 Jan 2017 at 11:27

Just spoke to my brother & they are going through her own insurer, they have offered her a courtesy car even though they don't have one on their policy.

She is supposed to be going on holiday abroad in 48 hours and as she has woken up today in some pain she is off to the doctors as she is worried it might have an effect on the validity of their travel insurance if anything develops whilst abroad.

My dad has had a look over the car and apart from the roof & doors every single panel is damaged so it's a definite write off.

Meridian · 26 Jan 2017 at 18:04

GhostWKD said:
Yes and no - the claim goes to them but they then pass it up the chain (so no fault claim registered etc)

I got hit once in the back by a car which then pushed me into the car infront.

Was incredibly stressful (made worse by the car infront getting out and going bat... crazy at me not the guy who hit me). But Insurance sorted it all. Basically front car put in a claim to my insurance who then forwarded it as part of my claim to the person who actually caused the accident.

Worst part was my Cinquecento ended up 10" shorter than it should've been, car behind had a cracked bumper and the car infront a cracked number plate lol.

Ditto:

That was in 1999. The woman I was pushed into (or-er missus) claimed off me, I claimed off the Ford Escort that hit me and pushed me into her car. In turn, my insurance company simple claimed the money they paid the woman I struck off the Escort driver as well. Similar happened to someone I know who was (IIRC) number two in a five-car shunt. Each person claims off the one behind, and everything rolls back to tail-end Charlie.