Crashed, next steps for insurance?

lukesmom

Crashed into the back of someone at the weekend. Only a bit of paint damage to her car. We swapped insurances. What do I do now?

davo2001

lukesmom wrote: »

Crashed into the back of someone at the weekend. Only a bit of paint damage to her car. We swapped insurances. What do I do now?

Wait for your next insurance quote to go through the roof?

Nekarsulm

Notify your Insurance ASAP.
Wait for the Registered letter from their Solicitor.
Take photos of any marks on your car.

Edit, perhaps I'm being judgemental, they may be sound and just look for just the price of fixing it.

biko

Notify your insurance company.
They will tell you what happens next.

Most insurers have pages for this
https://www.123.ie/customer-care/making-a-claim/i-have-a-claim/what-if-i-am-involved-in-car-accident
https://www.libertyinsurance.ie/help-centre/what-happens-if-i-am-involved-in-an-accident/

lukesmom

She text me this morning (the other driver) to say the car is being assessed by a local garage this afternoon. She asked me how do I want to proceed. She also said she has been on pain meds since for her neck and has a doctor's appointment today after taking the day off work! I honestly can't understand how her neck is sore it was such a minor impact only damage done to her car is paint work in a few places no dents etc. What does this mean? Am I in trouble

AvonEnniskerry

lukesmom wrote:

She text me this morning (the other driver) to say the car is being assessed by a local garage this afternoon. She asked me how do I want to proceed. She also said she has been on pain meds since for her neck and has a doctor's appointment today after taking the day off work! I honestly can't understand how her neck is sore it was such a minor impact only damage done to her car is paint work in a few places no dents etc. What does this mean? Am I in trouble

If this is the case I'd tell her to proceed through the insurance. That's what you pay them for and it sounds like she's chancing get arm for a personal injury claim too

punisher5112

lukesmom wrote: »

She text me this morning (the other driver) to say the car is being assessed by a local garage this afternoon. She asked me how do I want to proceed. She also said she has been on pain meds since for her neck and has a doctor's appointment today after taking the day off work! I honestly can't understand how her neck is sore it was such a minor impact only damage done to her car is paint work in a few places no dents etc. What does this mean? Am I in trouble

This means they will be in for a huge pay day.

Your insurance will be going up and they will do very well.

harr

lukesmom wrote: »

She text me this morning (the other driver) to say the car is being assessed by a local garage this afternoon. She asked me how do I want to proceed. She also said she has been on pain meds since for her neck and has a doctor's appointment today after taking the day off work! I honestly can't understand how her neck is sore it was such a minor impact only damage done to her car is paint work in a few places no dents etc. What does this mean? Am I in trouble

Not in trouble, but she will probably be claiming for a neck injury. Let your insurance deal with it , ring them and it all goes between her and your insurance company.
Your renewal quote will substantially increase.
Did you admit responsibility and were guards called or other witnesses?

punisher5112

Whether you believe it was low impact or whatever the issue is you made contact and from behind.

All one has to do is claim they were injured in some way or the next day and it is near impossible to prove otherwise.

lukesmom

Guards were called but she rang them back and told them not to bother coming on advice from her partner. Only other witness was my teenage son in with me in the car.

lukesmom

After it happened she said 'maybe I should call the guards because you never know what could happen down the line. I said yes go ahead. Then she did but changed her mind.

Keep an eye on her facebook


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/male-stripper-loses-damages-claim-over-rear-ending-injury-1.3291368

ED E

lukesmom wrote: »

She text me this morning (the other driver) to say the car is being assessed by a local garage this afternoon. She asked me how do I want to proceed. She also said she has been on pain meds since for her neck and has a doctor's appointment today after taking the day off work! I honestly can't understand how her neck is sore it was such a minor impact only damage done to her car is paint work in a few places no dents etc. What does this mean? Am I in trouble

She's looking for a pay day. Your insurer will give her 30K go away money and you will pay through the roof for the next half decade.

shaunr68

ED E wrote: »

She's looking for a pay day. Your insurer will give her 30K go away money and you will we will all pay through the roof for the next half decade.

Fixed that for you.

Something must be done to stop the whiplash culture. Motor insurance prices in this country are ridiculous. 49 here, the missus 46, full NCB, driving 31 and 28 years respectively with no claims in the past 25 years, and we're looking at getting a 1.2 petrol to keep insurance costs down. Back in the UK I paid £200 fully comp on a 2L diesel van, £230 fully comp on a 2.8 Fiat Ducato based motorhome with 365 day EU cover, and a few years back paid £300 fully comp on a Golf GTI. Here I'm looking at paying over €600 to insure a 1.2 Skoda Fabia.



EDIT: To the OP. Could you tell her you have dash cam footage that shows it was a very minor impact and if she is thinking about a fraudulent compensation claim, you will report it to the guards. With that in mind, ask her to get quotes to have the damage repaired without going through the insurance and offer €250 extra for her inconvenience.

biko

Tbh, if anything looks dodgy (and it kinda does) then go through insurance. That's what they are there for.

lukesmom

My car doesn't have a valid nct I'm screwed

davo2001

lukesmom wrote: »

My car doesn't have a valid nct I'm screwed

Your insurance won't cover it then as technically the car shouldn't have been on the road.

You need to contact a solicitor ASAP.

lukesmom

Why

flexcon

davo2001 wrote: »

Your insurance won't cover it then as technically the car shouldn't have been on the road.

You need to contact a solicitor ASAP.

Go get advice but ...... if you are with Liberty insurance they will cover it. Liberty require the car to be of roadworthy condition and does not stipulate a current NCT test.

Not sure on other insurers, and it's still good advice to contact solicitor. Don't panic regarding not be covered by insurance with lack of NCT just yet.

Toots

Is it not the case that they'll cover the 3rd party damage but that they may seek to recoup the cost?

lukesmom

Yes I'm with liberty

2Mad2BeMad

Another whiplash victim looking for easy comp, no doubt the husband has apart to play in it (easy money for the christmas love we will be covered for it and maybe a nice holiday)

Should do what the UK does, only cover cost of medical treatment for whiplash and nothing else.
Guarantee you will see whiplash claims drop by well over half

edit: best of luck OP, most insurance companies just roll over and pay out due to bringing the person to court would cost more then just giving them go-away money.

Expect your insurance to rise by probably 50percent (mine did yours may not) and to be paying it for at least 5 years while maybe getting a few quid knocked off it every year until then.

AvonEnniskerry

This still means your insurance will pay out for the third party. Just not for your vehicle.

They will manage the claim however it is a possiblity that they will bill you the payout. But at least you'll have them to mediate for the supposed neck injury

ddub11

Sounds like she,s chancing her arm.

Contact your insurance and inform them what happened.

However when she realises insurance claims can be long drawn out affair with her going for tests on her neck including physio etc she may decide she,s not as bad as she thought she was.

Bottom line is don,t panic let the insurance deal with it and if she decides to just get the car repaired get a detailed report of the damage and check for quotes yourself.

I hit the back of a car before (small scratch in the guys old car)and he tried to screw me for 400 euro,i told him id give him 150 euro or he can ring his insurance company and let them deal with it,he knew and i knew he was chancing his arm so he took the 150.

Nekarsulm

The company will probably just settle with her, but be sure to insist that you're kept in the loop.
I hit a woman's bumper about 10 years ago, again didn't actually mark her paint. She had 2 kids unsecured in the back seat, and a claim came in for mental stress, inability to sleep, underperformance at school etc etc. for one of them
Her own doctor advised Calpol for a few nights, but the company settled with her for 12000 euro.
As There was no physical effects, it couldn't be disputed or quantified.
8 months later she came again with a claim for the other child. I lost the plot with the company and insisted they go to court this time instead of paying out. That was the end of the claim.
One thing to avoid, if more than 10k is paid out for a claim against you, you won't get a new policy for another vehicle, should you buy an extra car etc.

lukesmom

So stressed out over it all. I could end up seriously out of pocket. I don't know what to do. She could end up having a 'sore neck' for god knows how long

headoverheels

Is there any way you could afford the damage to the car yourself? Without going through your insurance.

I'm in the same boat had a minor accident last Friday morning minimal damage done to other car but destroyed my own due to a towbar.

I was advised not to go through my insurance if I could afford the damage however, I contacted by broker to just notify them of the accident and they said there could always be a chance she could claim even though I'm paying for the damage myself so it will be kept on my file.
So basically I have no idea if my policy will be affected when it comes to renewing.

It makes you wonder what we pay car insurance at all if this is the case.
Unfortunately, there are people out there that see making a claim as an easy way to make a quick buck.
It's a stressful time for you I feel your pain.

Nekarsulm

You could easily get a solicitors letter warning up to pay up right away, to avoid extra costs etc.
This will be a spoof, a real " chance your arm's effort.
Refer it to your insurance company right away.

lukesmom

No because she rang the insurance company and put in the claim already today. So its game on. She has whiplash apparently which can be a very substantial payout. Wish the crash was on camera.

AvonEnniskerry

Insurance claims aren't quick payouts. They are so much body hassle to the third party. My car was hit whilst parked at my home address. My car was still assessed by the insurance to make sure it had a valid nct, tyre depth checked, damage photographed. I had so many arguments that the car skills be restored as new as it was new at the time and not just sanded down and repainted which would have voided the warranty on the likes of sensors etc. It took so much of my time. Phone calls back and forth and several trips to the garage as well as having to swap vehicles whilst mine was in for repair. With two small kids this is just a pain in the a**.

You have to wonder about people who use them as a quick payout. It takes so much time and energy. I'd have thought a cash settlement for minor damage more than reasonable. A whiplash claim will be investigated by your insurance. Though I would ensure you tell your insurance that she cancelled the guards etc. Did you take pictures of the damage at the time? To both vehicles?

Liam McPoyle

This is the main reason why insurance has spiked in price over the last few years.

Good for nothing cnuts looking for an easy payout.

Some people in one breath will argue that insurance fraud is a victimless crime and that everyone else is doing it so why shouldn't they but in the next breath scream JOE DUFFY and cartel cos their premiums go up.

Absolute fcuking gougers and tbh I wish all the bad luck in the world on people like that. I hope they end up having a bad accident some day and have nobody to claim from.

Op, all you can do is let your insurer handle it.

The fact of the matter is that you hit her from behind, regardless of speed and in the absence of independent witnesses she will most likely get paid off.

Try and not worry about it too much, you are one of thousands that are in the exact same position unfortunately.

Faith+1

It really is sh*t like this that would put you off driving :mad:

I hope everything works out for you OP.

lukesmom

Thanks all.
Insurance rang me today and a claims assessor is coming to look at my own car tomorrow while I'm at college. He told me not to worry that they will be very thorough when looking at her car and as regards to her personal injury claim well its her word against theirs but they will obviously check it out. As luck would have it I left my phone at a play centre earlier in the day of the crash and it was locked in there for the night until I could get it sunday. So had no phone to take photos of her car and either had my son But....A guy I know happened to be walking past and stopped and saw the damage done and he took photos for me on his crappy phone but still its photos. I let him know today she's claiming whiplash and 700 euros worth of damage and he was pretty disgusted to be honest. He couldn't believe it. Fair enough if I'd have hit her car very hard and left it with dents or anything but its got scrapes of paint missing. Anyway I'll leave it up to the insurance companies but who knows how much my insurance is going to be come renewal time. Probably wont be able to afford it either so no car. Seriously people don't realise how this messes up other peoples insurances. I'm gonna pay through the neck. I told her I'd pay for repairs and that was agreed but she changed her mind.

AvonEnniskerry

€700 worth of damage could potentially have been done to her car even without dents. Paintwork can be expensive to repair depending on how many panels you hit or if you scratched a plastic bumper it needs to be replaced as there's little you can do to bring it back right.

But the whiplash claim sounds like bull and I hope the insurance assessor sees through it for your sake. Unfortunately though your premium will rise regardless of the amount paid out unless you had full or step back no claims protection.

DaveyDave

If this was a low speed collision where whiplash is likely not true, will the assessor be looking at her seat and headrest position? Surely if it was all setup correctly you wouldn't get whiplash at low speeds?

Any incorrect seating position should have whiplash thrown out...

Sue Pa Key Pa

Whiplash is what the claimants highly paid consultant says it is, end of

Hilly Bill

lukesmom wrote: »

Crashed into the back of someone at the weekend. Only a bit of paint damage to her car. We swapped insurances. What do I do now?

How old was her car?

Atlantic Dawn

Sue Pa Key Pa wrote: »

Whiplash is what the claimants highly paid consultant says it is, end of

The doctors signing off on the diagnosis of whiplash in cases later proved to be fraudulent need to be punished too, there should really be a register showing who confirmed diagnosis of each, I'd bet you would quickly see a certain pattern shall we say

jimmycrackcorm

davo2001 wrote: »

Your insurance won't cover it then as technically the car shouldn't have been on the road.

You need to contact a solicitor ASAP.

That's totally incorrect. An NCT can fail for many reasons that have nothing to do with safety. I should know as I had an accident with a car with an NCT out of date by 8 months (but had booked in for a test the following day).

lukesmom

Hilly Bill wrote: »

How old was her car?

3 years

ddub11

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

That's totally incorrect. An NCT can fail for many reasons that have nothing to do with safety. I should know as I had an accident with a car with an NCT out of date by 8 months (but had booked in for a test the following day).

Great point nct is note a safety test despite what people are led to believe,and it kinda tells us the nct is just a money making scam.

ED E

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The doctors signing off on the diagnosis of whiplash in cases later proved to be fraudulent need to be punished too, there should really be a register showing who confirmed diagnosis of each, I'd bet you would quickly see a certain pattern shall we say

Impossible.

Soft tissue injuries go like this:
Does it hurt?
Yes
A lot?
You are now diagnosed with whiplash

Cant be disproven, theres no XRay to show the damage. Only way to catch the fraud is to get them(the "Patient") to admit it on tape.

lukesmom

My insurance company rang me last week to say their assessor assessed the cost of fixing the damages to her vehicle at €148 even though she gave me an estimate for €700 from a local garage. This is last week. Then today I am greeted by a solicitors letter addressed to me. I've to admit liability within 10 days. She wants compensation and something about personal injury claim and seeking to take me to court. What a load of sh!te this is. I'm raging.

What should I do? Ring my insurance company in the morning. Then what. Wait? Ring a solicitor. Cannot believe I'm even writing this. If you saw the crash. Its unbelievable the lengths this person is going to.

beechwood55

You let your insurance company deal with it.

Sue Pa Key Pa

You send that to your insurer and your only involvement from here in is to assist them with any queries they might have about the accident. You don't need a solicitor. Your insurer is obliged to keep you advised of any developments

ddub11

let your insurance company deal with it and wait for their directions in what to do next.
Above all dont let it get to you,you paid your insurance so if you have an accident(which can happen to any body ,and it does)they will deal with it and help you along the way.
It can be a frustrating and stressful thing to deal with but only if you allow it to be ,don,t get worked up over it ,its no big deal.

AvonEnniskerry

You pay your insurance company to essentially act as your solicitor in these situations. So you forward the letter into them and let them handle it.

Was the crash in the republic? Because if it happened in the North I believe it is standard procedure to receive a solicitors letter out.