Front of the car ruined by ambulance

M94

Was driving on the road and an ambulance passed by with the flashing lights and started going on the hard shoulder causing a huge amount of stones to hit the front of my car which basically ruined the front bumper and the hood. What can I do in this situation I know that I have almost 0 chance to get paid unless I will make a claim to my insurance company which will of course increase my premium next year so I will have to pay more than it costs to fix for the premium. If I had a dash cam and followed the ambulance to get it's number would I have be compensated or is it my fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time so now I have to spend €1000 to repaint my hood, bumper and left fender. Also what is the point of insurance if you make a claim and then the premium increases ridiculously next year so you end up paying more than if you would have spent your own money fixing it. I bought the car in immaculate condition so of course it hurts when it gets damaged due to no fault of my own

skibum

Was your car damaged by stones thrown up by the ambulance as it passed, or from you driving on the hard shoulder hitting stones that were there?

pablo128

M94 wrote: »

Was driving on the road and an ambulance passed by with the flashing lights and started going on the hard shoulder causing a huge amount of stones to hit the front of my car which basically ruined the front bumper and the hood. What can I do in this situation I know that I have almost 0 chance to get paid unless I will make a claim to my insurance company which will of course increase my premium next year so I will have to pay more than it costs to fix for the premium. If I had a dash cam and followed the ambulance to get it's number would I have be compensated or is it my fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time so now I have to spend €1000 to repaint my hood, bumper and left fender. Also what is the point of insurance if you make a claim and then the premium increases ridiculously next year so you end up paying more than if you would have spent your own money fixing it. I bought the car in immaculate condition so of course it hurts when it gets damaged due to no fault of my own

Did this happen in America?

M94

skibum wrote: »

Was your car damaged by stones thrown up by the ambulance as it passed, or from you driving on the hard shoulder hitting stones that were there?

I was driving on the first lane and the ambulance was moving to the exit on the left I was quite far away from the dirt road but it was enough to cause significant amount of damage since the ambulance was going at a high speed all the stones were thrown up from the shoulder to the first lane

colm_mcm

M94 wrote: »

I was driving on the first lane and the ambulance was moving to the exit on the left I was quite far away from the dirt road but it was enough to cause significant amount of damage since the ambulance was going at a high speed all the stones were thrown up from the shoulder to the first lane

Did you get a reg number?

Special Circumstances

colm_mcm wrote: »

Did you get a reg number?

555-555

pablo128 wrote: »

Did this happen in America?

M94

colm_mcm wrote: »

Did you get a reg number?

No, would it actually have made any difference unless I had a dash cam?

colm_mcm

M94 wrote: »

No, would it actually have made any difference unless I had a dash cam?

Well it'd be very hard to figure out who is responsible unless you had a reg. ambulances are ran by many different organisations.

Jan Laco

Is it not the council that's responsible if it's loose chipping/ stone damage?

colm_mcm

How would it be the councils problem?

Sam Kade

pablo128 wrote: »

Did this happen in America?

The amount of want to be Yankee's on boards annoy me :mad:

colm_mcm

A lot of Eastern Europeans for example use 'American' terms like hood, fender etc. I wouldn't assume everyone on here is Irish.

Jan Laco

colm_mcm wrote: »

How would it be the councils problem?

Their responsibility of up keeping the roads, it's loose material on the road that was thrown up and damaged the car. It's more a question that statement.
Or maybe it's just during road works.

Sam Kade

colm_mcm wrote: »

A lot of Eastern Europeans for example use 'American' terms like hood, fender etc. I wouldn't assume everyone on here is Irish.

A lot of Irish are as bad even though they never even set foot in America :mad:

Edups

colm_mcm wrote: »

How would it be the councils problem?

How is the ambulances? Should they have let the paitent they were going to pick up/in the back, perhaps suffer in pain or trauma or even die just to save a few stones on the road be left untouched? An ambulances last thought it Joe soaps car it's getting the patient to hospital.

Sam Kade

Unless the road was recently tarred I can't see how an N road would have loose chips.

colm_mcm

They still need to follow the rules of the road. You could apply your logic to ramming cars out of the way.

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

They still need to follow the rules of the road. You could apply your logic to ramming cars out of the way.

What rules of of the road did'nt ambulance follow

shietpilot

Sam Kade wrote: »

Unless the road was recently tarred I can't see how an N road would have loose chips.

It would because as you drive along in the driving lanes all the dirt and rocks get thrown onto the hard shoulder! All those little stones are killers for paintwork.

Sam Kade

colm_mcm wrote: »

They still need to follow the rules of the road. You could apply your logic to ramming cars out of the way.

Ranmming cars out of the way? There are 3 vehicles to get out the way of if they have sirens on, ambulance, gardaí and fire brigade.

grogi

Edups wrote: »

How is the ambulances? Should they have let the paitent they were going to pick up/in the back, perhaps suffer in pain or trauma or even die just to save a few stones on the road be left untouched? An ambulances last thought it Joe soaps car it's getting the patient to hospital.

Of course it is ambulance operator concern. The same as when a K9 unit damages your cream alcantara seats while looking for drug dealer. Or Police damaging doors during raid only to find innocent inside...
They all should reimburse damages caused during rightful actions.

colm_mcm

Sam Kade wrote: »

Ranmming cars out of the way? There are 3 vehicles to get out the way of if they have sirens on, ambulance, gardaí and fire brigade.

My comment was in reply to a comment (#15) that suggested the ambulance isn't responsible for anything once there's someone in the back dying. I took that to mean it's just tough luck if an ambulance damages your car.

Edups

colm_mcm wrote: »

My comment was in reply to a comment that suggested the ambulance isn't responsible for anything once there's someone in the back dying. I took that to mean it's just tough luck if an ambulance damages your car.

No if the ambulance is speeding to hospital and happens upon loose chippings it's just unfortunate.

colm_mcm

Obviously we're not talking about the UK, but I would assume the same guidelines as the NHS use are trained here in Ireland too.

Use of Hard Shoulders
11.14.1 In order to reach an incident through congested traffic, it may be necessary to drive along the ‘hard shoulder’. This should be performed very slowly and with great care, using audible and visual warnings. Staff must remain mindful that other drivers may have left their vehicles and could be crossing the ‘hard shoulder’ to reach the grass verge or in hearing you approach move onto the hard shoulder thereby obstruct your lane.

Ambulances still need to drive responsibly. Hooning up the hard shoulder is not responsible driving. It's very risky. If the ambulance caused as much damage as is suggested in the OP, they were driving too fast for the conditions.

pablo128

Any chance of a photo of the damage?

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

Obviously we're not talking about the UK, but I would assume the same guidelines as the NHS use are trained here in Ireland too.



Ambulances still need to drive responsibly. Hooning up the hard shoulder is not responsible driving. It's very risky. If the ambulance caused as much damage as is suggested in the OP, they were driving too fast for the conditions.

I take it you would be type of person who would'nt drive through red light if ambulance was trying to get through "rules of road"

CiniO

colm_mcm wrote: »

A lot of Eastern Europeans for example use 'American' terms like hood, fender etc. I wouldn't assume everyone on here is Irish.

Never heard those words in my life

Same as I never heard of windshields, blinker or tires, station wagon, etc...

colm_mcm

Go for gold wrote: »

I take it you would be type of person who would'nt drive through red light if ambulance was trying to get through "rules of road"

How did you make that connection?

TheRiverman

So what exactly is the from of the car?

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

How did you make that connection?

The way you are posting "hooning up the hard shoulder" there not out for a joy ride just in case you did'nt know

colm_mcm

Right. I had no idea they weren't joyriders. You learn something new everyday, sometimes from the most unlikely sources.

Autosport

Ok I'm confused Who was driving on the hard shoulder?

colm_mcm

The joyriders. Or Mr. Chips. I'm not sure now.

Alanstrainor

M94 wrote: »

Was driving on the road and an ambulance passed by with the flashing lights and started going on the hard shoulder causing a huge amount of stones to hit the front of my car which basically ruined the front bumper and the hood. What can I do in this situation I know that I have almost 0 chance to get paid unless I will make a claim to my insurance company which will of course increase my premium next year so I will have to pay more than it costs to fix for the premium. If I had a dash cam and followed the ambulance to get it's number would I have be compensated or is it my fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time so now I have to spend €1000 to repaint my hood, bumper and left fender. Also what is the point of insurance if you make a claim and then the premium increases ridiculously next year so you end up paying more than if you would have spent your own money fixing it. I bought the car in immaculate condition so of course it hurts when it gets damaged due to no fault of my own

Any pictures of the damage? Maybe it could be sorted with machine polishing if they're not very deep.

Seth Brundle

Sam Kade wrote: »

A lot of Irish are as bad even though they never even set foot in America :mad:

Just like the AA roadwatch girls and thier Aussie accents!

colm_mcm wrote: »

Obviously we're not talking about the UK, but I would assume the same guidelines as the NHS use are trained here in Ireland too.



Ambulances still need to drive responsibly. Hooning up the hard shoulder is not responsible driving. It's very risky. If the ambulance caused as much damage as is suggested in the OP, they were driving too fast for the conditions.

No matter how responsibly one drives, one cannot guarantee that stones won't be flung up from behind.

colm_mcm

Oh yeah. Sh*t happens, but what the OP is describing is not damage from 1 or 2 stone chips.
Point is, if the ambulance wasn't following guidelines (I clearly don't know what the guidelines or training the various Irish ambulance services go through re driving on the hard shoulder), and if there was actual evidence there may be some grounds for compensation for repair.

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

The joyriders. Or Mr. Chips. I'm not sure now.

So now you are calling ambulance driver joy rider

colm_mcm

Who stole an ambulance? That's pretty shonky behaviour.

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

Who stole an ambulance? That's pretty shonky behaviour.

Sorry

Autosport

Why was the ambulance driving on the hard shoulder? Aren't road users supposed to get out of the ambulances way, why make them go on the hard shoulder

colm_mcm

Go for gold wrote: »

Your a idiot

It's "You're"

dunworth1

So if I was driving down the road and a stone got fired up from the car in front and cracked my windscreen I could go after the driver?

These things happen get a price from an independent garage to spray the panels

Sam Kade

Sam Kade wrote: »

A lot of Irish are as bad even though they never even set foot in America :mad:

True, dude :pac:
God bless 'Murica :rolleyes:

colm_mcm

dunworth1 wrote: »

So if I was driving down the road and a stone got fired up from the car in front and cracked my windscreen I could go after the driver?

These things happen get a price from an independent garage to spray the panels

What if you were stuck in traffic and somebody wanted to skip the queue, flew down the hard shoulder on the inside at speed and threw up a load of gravel on the side of your car?

Edups

colm_mcm wrote: »

What if you were stuck in traffic and somebody wanted to skip the queue, flew down the hard shoulder on the inside at speed and threw up a load of gravel on the side of your car?

This isn't just a careless driver this is an ambulance that's the part you seem to be wholly ignoring in your hypotheticals.

Go for gold

colm_mcm wrote: »

It's "You're"

Thank for that .but people like you make me sick. Do you get a kick out of disrespect the emergency services ?

dunworth1

colm_mcm wrote: »

What if you were stuck in traffic and somebody wanted to skip the queue, flew down the hard shoulder on the inside at speed and threw up a load of gravel on the side of your car?

Doubt there would be much you could do about it unless they stopped and were willing to pay. As the type of person who would do that in the first place has no respect for others.

But in this case it was an emergency vehicle responding/returning from an emergency. Some leeway is generally given to the people who save people's lives.


In saying that I'm sure there's a way to claim for damages from the hse as they should be able trace the call based on the date and time.

Edups

dunworth1 wrote: »

Doubt there would be much you could do about it unless they stopped and were willing to pay. As the type of person who would do that in the first place has no respect for others.

But in this case it was an emergency vehicle responding/returning from an emergency. Some leeway is generally given to the people who save people's lives.


In saying that I'm sure there's a way to claim for damages from the hse as they should be able trace the call based on the date and time.

Yeah but the OP can't prove it was the ambulance. And the HSE might not pay because it's exceptional circumstances.

Rob32

Im sure the family of the person the Ambulance was on the way to help will gladly reimburse you for the inconvience of a person needing urgent and potentially life threatening medical care.

Jesus.

CiniO wrote: »

Never heard those words in my life Same as I never heard of windshields, blinker or tires, station wagon, etc...

I remember my old man calling estates station wagons. He lived in London way back when so perhaps it was once used in England?

Jesus.

Go for gold wrote: »

Thank for that .but people like you make me sick. Do you get a kick out of disrespect the emergency services ?

Jesus man. Talk about an overreaction!