Rock thrown up by a truck damaged my screen. Advice?

James Bond Junior

I was travelling along the M20 this morning and a stone came flying out from underneath the wheels of a large arctic as I overtook it in the overtaking lane. It left 8 small but not insignificant gouges/cracks right across the drivers side. Do I have cause to claim from the trucks insurance? I can only claim a certain amount of times on my own windscreen cover so I am a little loath to use it unless necessary. I have a dash cam so have evidence.

grogi

James Bond Junior wrote: »

Do I have cause to claim from the trucks insurance?

Yes. Do you have the footage of it happening?

James Bond Junior

grogi wrote: »

Yes. Do you have the footage of it happening?

Need to review it but yes.

Dakota Dan

Doubtful, if the stone was on the road it isn't the drivers fault.

James Bond Junior

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Doubtful, if the stone was on the road it isn't the drivers fault.

I don't wish to come across as the type whom is demanding someone else pay for it and that's that but if there is another avenue to go down then I will explore it.

Hitman3000

Even with dashcam footage it may be difficult to prove the truck was responsible. It could have been a stone on the road that truck ran over? If it were I doubt there is any person/agency you can pursue.

Dakota Dan

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I don't wish to come across as the type whom is demanding someone else pay for it and that's that but if there is another avenue to go down then I will explore it.

No, I'm just saying debris on the road thrown by a moving vechicle doesn't make that driver responsible, if the stone cane off the truck and hit your car they would be responsible although if an object comes off another vechicle and bounces on the road before you hit it, they are not responsible. It happened a relation of mine, a wheel came off a trailer and the Gardai did nothing about it.

biko

Probably not, but do you have windscreen cover on your insurance? Changing the screen usually doesn't affect NCB (check your T&C's).

James Bond Junior

Thanks for the replies all, I will claim off my own and leave it at that.

JohnBoy26

Had this happen to me about 4 years back. It didn't damage the windscreen but did chip the paint in places. What's worse is that I had just bought the car and was on the way home when it happened.

Didn't do anything about it, had to just suck it up. I was sickened though.

Gavman84

Happened me last year but it hit the bonnet and gouged it and took paint off. Had to get it resprayed at own cost was well annoyed but was no way I was gonna be able to stop truck and if did prob tell me where to go!

Vic_08

Dakota Dan wrote: »

No, I'm just saying debris on the road thrown by a moving vechicle doesn't make that driver responsible, if the stone cane off the truck and hit your car they would be responsible although if an object comes off another vechicle and bounces on the road before you hit it, they are not responsible. It happened a relation of mine, a wheel came off a trailer and the Gardai did nothing about it.

Whad did you expect Gardai to do? It would have been a civil matter and you would have had a valid claim for a wheel coming loose and causing damage.


I don't know where you got the ridiculous "if it hits the road first" rule from but that is 100% nonsense.

Stuff on the road that is kicked up is not the responsibility of the driver, anything that comes loose from a vehicle is.

corks finest

Same thing happened to me years ago,behind a cement lorry,rang insurance company,from there to auto glass,replaced cracked screen

Toyotafanboi

Are some people saying if I drive over a stone and it chips the car behind that I am liable?

Dakota Dan

Vic_08 wrote: »

Whad did you expect Gardai to do? It would have been a civil matter and you would have had a valid claim for a wheel coming loose and causing damage.


I don't know where you got the ridiculous "if it hits the road first" rule from but that is 100% nonsense.

Stuff on the road that is kicked up is not the responsibility of the driver, anything that comes loose from a vehicle is.

I didn't expect the garda to do anything because it didn't happen to me.

Dakota Dan

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Are some people saying if I drive over a stone and it chips the car behind that I am liable?

No you're not liable.

_Brian

If you could prove the debris fell from the truck you should have no problems.

If the debris wasn’t from the truck I don’t see how they could be liable.

Tenigate

A few years ago they filled the grooves along the M1 with large chippings/pebbles. At the time I was driving a lot. My car was destroyed with them. Tonnes of chips in the paintwork and 2 cracked windscreens. Alas, I did not get the numberplates of the cars flinging the stones at me.

bucketybuck

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I can only claim a certain amount of times on my own windscreen cover so I am a little loath to use it unless necessary.

In fairness, situations like these are really what that windscreen cover is for, situations where nobody is at fault...

KellyXX

Count yourself lucky it wasn't like the guy travelling on the m50 a few weeks ago who had a part of a truck suspension come through his windscreen like a spear and right through the seats.

James Bond Junior

You are dead right, I will go down that route. Thanks for all the replies. Just wanted to check as I thought I had heard that rocks thrown up by other vehicles could be claimed from their insurance. I've gotten the answer I want and that is a no.

pippip

Just so people know, when you claim for windscreen can slightly effect your premium. A few months back I put it into 123.ie to see and it adds about €30 per year and asks about your previous 4 yrs so they get back €120, on top of windscreen cover being an added premium in some cases.

grogi

Dakota Dan wrote: »

No you're not liable.

The stone was taking a sun bath on the ground minding its own business. It is your action that moved it. Sure, it wasn't intentional. But you are liable.

Toyotafanboi

OP has the answer they needed, closed as req'd