Minor car park incident help

Galbin

I was at an extremely busy car park today and saw a spot that had just opened up. So I reversed towards it. However after about 4 or 5 feet of reversing there was a loud bang. I got out to find that I had hit a car. I have never had an accident before and the guy was very upset. So I started apologising and offered to pay for any damage. He then saw how calm I was and said it was fine and that I didn't need to as it seemed grand. However, like an idiot, I kept offering to pay so we exchanged numbers and details. He then talked about how he was gonna get another scratch on his car fixed anyway.

Unfortunately, I process things slowly so it only occurred to me now that surely I had right of way and that maybe he actually hit me rather than I hit him. When we stopped his car was pointed straight out onto the road. Now, if he came out before I started reversing then would the fault be mine for not seeing him? However, if he started coming out as I was reversing then is the fault with him? My friend said I was reversing back for a good 4 to 5 feet before we collided which suggests to her that he did come out when he wasn't supposed to. I just don't know.

The fact that he wanted to let it go suggests to me that maybe I really wasn't at fault. And I feel like I did all the wrong things. Like I didn't take any pictures of the car so I don't even really know if it was damaged or anything.

What should I do next? I don't want to get a big insurance hike or be stuck with a bill for something if it wasn't my fault.

endacl

Probably shouldn’t have accepted liability…

pauliebdub

 You probably will get a big insurance hike and be stuck with a bill for something if it wasn't my fault by naively admitting liability and not acting with a clear head. Lesson learned - never apologise or admit liability when an accident takes place. Let's the insurance companies sort it.

NEVER EVER accept liability.

fryup

any cctv?

Flinty997

CCTV is often only kept 24 hrs or a few days go check that out.

kirving

Generally speaking, if you're reversing you need to give right of way to other cars.

I don't think that you accepting liability at the accident counts for much - the liability is for your insurance company to decide.

Eggs For Dinner

Admitting liability at the scene is of no value to the other party. Your biggest problem is that you admit you were reversing, didn't see the other party and can't say how the collision occurred. One for your insurer, but I would say you have a difficulty

Whocare

If you was reversing it your fault. Like op now is trying to weasel out of their responsibilities this is why it essential to have a DashCam

MarkR

Kind of hard to tell what happened from your description of it being in a car park but cars pointing to the road. Anyway, you sound like you have no idea what was happening when you were reversing? Were you looking in your mirror, or just waiting for some beeps to tell you to stop?

Galbin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475510#Comment_119475510

I honestly don't know. That is my point. It was only afterwards I began to realise that I was reversing for a good while before we collided meaning he must have come out after I started driving. Also at first he said there wasn't really any damage until I kept apolgising.

I've never had an accident before so didn't know what to think.

Galbin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475688#Comment_119475688

Yes, and there was a car behind me that I was looking at as I reversed. Hence why I was shocked and why I wonder if he pulled out into me.

His car was pointing straight out as if he was exiting his spot and mine was reversing backwards on the main road of the carpark.

Bigmac1euro

You’ve just admitted to reversing 4 or 5 feet without looking.

if that’s the case it is absolutely your fault.

If you were looking at his car while reversing as you quickly changed events in your last post how did you hit him?

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475694#Comment_119475694

You can always change your story if do call looking for money for repair and said i don't think I was wrong at most it 50/50 . plus if was my like you said you could barely see any damage and if was older car you might never heard from him again as just be too much hassle ect getting it fixed

Eggs for dinner who commented work in insurance I believe so whatever he says probably right reversing your banjaxed in crash

AndrewJRenko

Good job there wasn't a child going through the car park.

Hopefully that's the last you will hear of it, OP, except for all the tut-tutting and finger wagging from all the perfect drivers on this site, I'm afraid that's going to go on for days.

Bigmac1euro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475757#Comment_119475757

Someone just admitted to reversing 4 or 5 feet without looking and hit another car and is now trying to pass blame. If you think this idiotic move shouldn’t be called out you’re apart of the problem with bad drivers.

Galbin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475775#Comment_119475775

What? I literally said I was looking and that there was a car right behind me.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475775#Comment_119475775

They said they were looking. And how is looking for advice on an online opinion forum trying to pass blame? What problem exactly do you think I'm apart of?

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119474349#Comment_119474349

Verbally accepting/admitting liability to the other driver at the scene means absolutely nothing.

Fann Linn

I reversed out of a parking spot and hit another car. Both insurance companies weren't interested in securing or viewing the garage CCTV and what I thought was a small scratch and broken indicator turned into a €3.5k makeover.

A costly lesson was learnt in a garage near the Northside shopping centre for me.

Galbin

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. I really appreciate it.

Will look into getting the CCTV and see where to go from there. I have never had an accident so this is all new to me.

ELM327

If you were reversing it's your fault, no right of way

For what its worth Galbin, I tipped off another car in a car park back a couple of months ago. The other car was stationary, parked with no driver, and it was 100% my fault as I was rushing and misjudged the swing into the spot beside it.

I did damage it, it was minor (scratches, no dents) and there was some damage to my own bumper as well, also minor.

I left my details on the car and with the security office. I reported the matter to my insurance company and filed an accident report form.

The person who owned the car never contacted either me, or their insurance company. Insurance companies followed up with me about a month ago and closed the claim, as I wasn't claiming for the damage to my own car.

But - the point of this long-winded story is I got my insurance renewal just this week, and despite reporting an incident, it was €400 LESS than last year.

Hooked

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058258852/minor-car-park-incident-help

Ok - I'm going to play the cheeky-chappy here.

There's no PROOF that you accepted liability. No cops were called and possibly no CCTV. Your word VS theirs.

Just do what every other scrote (I'm not calling you one) does... deny it ever happened! Don't answer the unknown calls. etc... etc...

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475750#Comment_119475750

For sure I don't understand went you be sitting in your car and see some driver put it in reverse and reverse at speed madness. I always reverse very slow and have window down small bit just incase if child or someone I didn't see was behind car might scream and you know stop then extra bit of safety I do as nearly every year some child reversed over and killed

DaveyDave

Not going off on OP here, just a general thought. What is it with people not looking where they're reversing? I was in a car park yesterday, drove forward to reverse in and the car beside me started reversing out. All their mirrors and their own eyes looking back would have seen a bright white car behind them. 191 Alfa, I would hope at the very least it had parking sensors.

It's been happening quite regularly in the last few months. It's like people do a quick check, see it's clear, then move and in that split second a car/person is nearby and they aren't continuously checking.

I posted a clip in the dashcam thread of someone pulling out on me at a junction, stopping, then reversing into me. Like, how do you not at least check mirrors or even look behind? Absolutely mental. Someone pulled across my girlfriend as she was on our road the other week without looking, they were pulled over on the right side then drove straight across her into our neighbors parking spaces to do a u turn. It was a bloody close one.

Parking sensors can often be retrofitted, mental to not have some rear ones these days. Even in small cars they're just a nice convenience feature to have. Even an aftermarket reversing camera would help so in the case where you are actually looking, you'll be able to see distances at least.

fryup

OP - how much damage was actually done??

are we talking a big dent or minor scratch? - is your car marked in anyway from the impact?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475810#Comment_119475810

So what does that mean?....you drove into them on purpose then?

"didn't see them" is a widely accepted colloquialism for accidentally hitting someone. You misjudged the distance and reversed into another car. I cannot see how you can all of a sudden think the other party were to blame.

Galbin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119480203#Comment_119480203

There was a car behind me (not his). I was reversing backwards along the main carpark road one drives on as one enters a carpark. He emerged from the side from a car park spot. There is damage on my car and I was looking in the mirror, so I am wondering if he suddenly came out of his spot without looking. Hence why I didn't see him. He also didn't seem to have damage on his car, but I was so shocked that I never thought to take pictures or anything.

Anyhow, thanks for all the helpful comments about right of way when reversing etc. This is a lot to deal with when you have never had any type of accident, speeding ticket, or problem of any kind on the road.

antodeco

OP, to clarify, you weren't reversing into the spot and hit someone. You were reversing up along a road in the car park? Suggests that you drove passed a space, stopped and then wanted to reverse back to swing into it? How many "spaces" did you need to reverse to get into it?