Question about accident

mac09

a friend was in a small accident the other day. his fault and he wants to pay for damage rather than go through the insurance. the other party is getting a quote.

the other car was a 1990 so the repairs would probably cost more than the car, making it an economic write-off

is it better to just let it go to the insurance as they will probably only pay out the value that the other car is insured at

i was wondering what is the standard procedure in this case?

if the other party gets a quote from a garage, how is payment generally made, i.e. to the garage, to the other party upon receipt of letter saying its the end of the matter

Seth Brundle

Wait until the other person comes back with a quote.
If the cost is more than the car is worth (based on various adverts from carzone) then offer the value of the car. However, the owner may not want to do this and may not want to recognise that their car is worth sweet FA.
I would also get your mate to let their insurance company know about the incident (but not yet make a claim) just in case they need the help from the company.

Your friend should also ensure that the claimant will not follow up with a personal injury claim.

mac09

kbannon wrote: »

Wait until the other person comes back with a quote.
If the cost is more than the car is worth (based on various adverts from carzone) then offer the value of the car. However, the owner may not want to do this and may not want to recognise that their car is worth sweet FA.
I would also get your mate to let their insurance company know about the incident (but not yet make a claim) just in case they need the help from the company.

Your friend should also ensure that the claimant will not follow up with a personal injury claim.

the personal injury claim was something i mentioned. how can one be sure that the claimant will not make a personal injory claim.

does an insurance company contact the guards to confirm an accident occured once its mentioned to them? or does that only happen when a claim is made?

some interesting technicalities surrounding insurance claims

b12mearse

i would say to your mate stop been such a cheapskate and pay for the damage. if you dont keep your word she may come back at you with a personal injury claim.

Alanstrainor

Afaik the claimant has up to five years to make a claim.

Thornography

As far as Im aware you cant claim for personal injury if you didnt report the accident to the guards and insurance company the moment the accident happened.

Tell the other party that if the cost to fix is higher then the cost of the new car, there getting the price of a new car instead. The insurance company will do the exact same thing and no one really says no to the price of a new car instead

mac09

Thornography wrote: »

As far as Im aware you cant claim for personal injury if you didnt report the accident to the guards and insurance company the moment the accident happened.

Tell the other party that if the cost to fix is higher then the cost of the new car, there getting the price of a new car instead. The insurance company will do the exact same thing and no one really says no to the price of a new car instead

this is what i thought alright but to be honest a replacement like for like car would cost in the region of 2-300 and thats it. obviously if a garage quotes for repairs it will be far greater

mac09

cheers for the feedback guys

so when an amount is agreed that both parties are happy with, whats the procedure?

letter confirming end of the matter signed by both parties and i assume a bank draft rather than cash

Seth Brundle

mac09 wrote: »

letter confirming end of the matter signed by both parties and i assume a bank draft rather than cash

I guess so - something that states that your friend is not admitting liability but also indemnifies them
Also make sure that the amount being exchanged is stated (as a form of receipt).
I don't think draft or cash makes much of a difference (as you will have a receipt.

biko

I would suggest asking a solicitor too, just in case.