Car accident

Gardenman35

Hi all,

Had a bit of an accident ast night whereby a learner driver decided last minute that she wanted to turn left and go through my car for a short cut. I called Garda and I have a witness saying that she was in the wrong. I rang my insurance company for advise and they said to contact her insurance company and register a claim. I was met with statement that she/they are pursuing ME for costs/liability When I went back to my insurance company, they said they can proceed with costs/work etc via my own fully comprehensive policy and try to claw back costs from the other drivers insurance company however it could affect both my no claims status and future premium price.and no guarantee full costs will be secured. I’d also have to pay the €250 excess on any work done on my vehicle in advance of work.

Can anyone tell me how best to handle the other parties insurance company? I called the Garda again today and he said he has in record that she admitted liability when saying she was in the wrong lane. I’d estimate about €2600 worth of damage on my car. I also thought that my insurance company could help me deal with their insurer however I have to open a can of worms to do so.

Thanks

pm1977x

I think she can claim shock made her accept liability or that she felt intimidated at the scene or whatever, horrible situation to be in due to no fault of your own, best of luck with it.

Boards.ie: Mark

Hi Gardenman35, I've moved this across to Motoring > Insurance where people should be better able to advise.

beechwood55

You have a witness. Have you told the insurance company that?
Was she accompanied?

RGS

Can you afford to be without your car for the period if may take to get the other insurers to accept liability?
if not then use your comp insurance to repair your car and let your insurers seek recovery from her insurers.
If you can afford to wait then issue proceedings against the other party and get a judge to determine liability.

You could be waiting a number of months before a hearing date in the District Court.

Sue Pa Key Pa

If liability is disputed, you are better off claiming under your own policy and have them recover in due course. Your insurer will also tag on your policy excess and any other uninsured expenses you have incurred.

It will stay as a claim on your record untill such time as they recover back the outlay. Don't forget, the 3rd party is likely to lodge a claim against you as a defence mechanism to their version of events.

There are specialist solicitors out there who will pursue the 3rd party in the 1st instance on your behalf. If you have witnesses etc., they are good at getting a reasonably quick resolution. As said above, it is down to your circumstances as to whether you can get your vehicle sorted without having to claim on your own policy or wait for settlement

Gardenman35

Thanks for all the replies to date. Luckily the car is still drivable and I could in theory wait however my main issue is being potentially penalized on my own policy and higher premiums if I get work done on my own insurance policy. I have 7 years no claims discount which I do not want to compromise. My own insurance company were unclear whether claiming via my own insurance followed by them chasing repayment from other company would affect (or not) my future policy and standing. Their words were “that would have to be assessed during renewal”.

:mad:

Sue Pa Key Pa

Your renewal will be treated on the status at the time. If the claim is paid out but not yet recovered, it will be considered as a claim made. If there is an additional premium involved for the claim and they subsequently recover their outlay, they will refund this amount.

Gardenman35

Sue Pa Key Pa wrote: »

Your renewal will be treated on the status at the time. If the claim is paid out but not yet recovered, it will be considered as a claim made. If there is an additional premium involved for the claim and they subsequently recover their outlay, they will refund this amount.

Thanks. I wonder how all of this affects no claims?

endacl

Was the L driver accompanied?

Gardenman35

There was another Older lady in the car but unsure about her status re driving licence. I did however hear the Garda saying to her that she shouldn’t be driving unaccompanied on a provisional licence so perhaps other did not have