I'm fuming!!! MINOR car accident/bump yesterday...

[cutebowsxx]

I seriously need to rant on here before I end up going round and knocking on these people's doors to give them a piece of my mind!!!

We hold our hands up.. It was mainly OH's fault what happened.. BUT it was an ACCIDENT and we did not deserve to get spoken and treated to in the way that we did.

Basically to cut a long story short, me and OH were coming out of a junction yesterday (OH was driving) and somehow managed to bump in to an on-coming car. This was in a small street so not on a busy/fast road or anything. There were cars parked right near the junction obstructing OH's view of this other car coming, and opposite the junction there was another car TRYING to park (we had no idea what they were trying to do to be honest!) I think OH was paying a bit more attention to this car, in case they went to pull off IYKWIM.
So we had a little bump. NO damage on either car. Going about 5mph.
OH was obviously very apologetic, not that he had much chance to be, as the other couple went absolutely mental at us. Called us every name under the sun, used every swear word you could think of. Their facial expressions and body language was disgraceful, the man got right in to my OH's face screaming at him.

I stayed in the car, which now I really regret doing. I wish I had got out and explained why it happened, because my OH was a bit useless, he is so shy and didn't explain anything. And if they carried on acting like that towards us I would have given them my own piece of mind back! They have probably gone away thinking 'immature young careless drivers' etc as me and OH are only 21, which is not the case!! Fair enough if OH was driving stupidly, or on the phone etc!! But that junction is terrible, an accident waiting to happen. We could not help it one bit.

Well now they have gone through the insurance.. FOR WHAT?! I just don't know.. there is no damage what so ever on either car! I can see this getting really messy.. I can see whiplash claims, the lot! For an tiny bump which happened while doing like 5mph!! They really seemed like that kind of people.

Are there any decent human beings out there any more
If it happened the other way round there's no way me or OH would act like that! We'd be more concerned that everyone was ok etc!

This week has been absolutely dreadful

Edit: Can I just clear it up that I don't actually mind that these other people have chosen to go through the insurance. Although I admit my post probably sounds like it. I just meant that if they are going to claim if there is no actual damage and are going to make things out a lot worse than it was etc. In fact, we have informed our insurance company of the minor bump anyway

 

[Ceejay123]

Oh bless you honey hope you're alright x

 

[Twister]

How awful! Some people are just looking for a reason to claim tbh. I don't have much advice but hopefully their claim won't get very far especially if there was no damage to either car!

 

[CarlyP]

That's not fair, especially as your said it was so minor no damage etc, they shouldn't of spoken to your OH like that.

Hope they don't claim anything against you x

 

[xcharx]

Have you explained you were only doing 5mph? Have you got any witnesses? Did you take pictures?

I'm thinking there going to claim damage (which you said there was none but they could easily go & take a hammer to there bumper/lights) and whiplash!!

Sorry babe I accidentaly bumped someone once - my ford KA & his Mercedes but the guy was lovely & even gave me a hug lol it was his fault though (didn't signal to turn on a hill)

Cx

 

[StarrySkies]

Woah, I can see why your angry, I would be too

I'm no expert on Insurance claims so I don't know what the outcome would be on that front but I'd like to think they wouldn't get away with claiming anything, cheeky gits!

Some people are just our for what they can get and it's so wrong!


x

 

[shellie]

Some people are so over the top and nasty. I hope that you and your OH are both ok. I also agree with whats been said previously, that some people will claim for anything. I hope they dont though. xxx

 

[sparker10]

Really felt for you hun when I was reading this...We may not like it but this is the way the world is going...full of people who are after every penny they can grab. Makes me sick...

 

[Shabutie]

Something similar happened to me and they claimed through soliciters! My insurance had to pay out £1600, and there was no damage at all.

I hope this doesnt happen to you guys.

 

[RachA]

Glad you are both ok. People can be awful. A number of years ago my dad had a very minor accident at a junction when he went into the back of a Jag. He pulled round the corner and pull in but the Jag had driven off and after a few min he didn't see it again. As he didn't have any of the car details he didn't do anything about it. A few months later he got a court summons and was charged with dangerous driving, failure to stop at the scene of the accident and failing to report an accident. Apparently the Jag driver waited about 10min and then followed my dad and got his reg number. He then claimed my dad had caused £2500 worth of damage, some of it to the front of the Jag even though it was a rear accident and the Jag hadn't hit anything else!!! Given my dad was doing about 5mph and the Jag wasn't moving and my dad couldn't see any damage not sure how the reckoned on £2500. Anyhow the pm of the day he was in court my parent had a very major car accident in which my mum nearly died. About 2 weeks later my dad had a letter asking for the money and he told them what he though of it all - he ended up not paying the fine

So basically what i'm trying to say is that some people will try and get money out of you for no reason. Fine, if there is actual damage to the car or yourself, but when there isn't then it just shows what these people are really like.

 

[Hunbun]

Thats awful, people can be so unreasonable sometimes.

I've had a few people 'bump' me. Nothing serious and never causing any damage thankfully. I would never speak to people like that, I always try and assume the best, it was only an accident. As you said its not like he was on his phone or anything.

 

[Redhead84]

They are doing the right thing contacting their insurance, you should do the same.

If you hadn't, I presume you'd inform your insurer of the incident when they ask for any accidents in the last 3/5 years? Like it or not, they use it to form an assessment of risk level.. Not maybe what you want to hear however I'm in agreement with the other party here (on informing insurers, not any claim that may or may not materialise)

Edited to add: I was once hit from behind at very low speed, and when I took my car to be checked it had £400 of structural damage - jut because the door isn't caved in do not presume there is no damage.

 

[tina_h75]

Even a low speed impact with no visible damage can cause considerable damage to the underside of the vehicle. Also, whiplash can occur in an accident with a speed as low as 5mph. Sorry, but be prepared for a claim against your policy.

 

[Sarahwoo]

Someone drove into my husbands car a few years ago, in a car park and going really slowly. They hit the passenger side door. They were really aplolgetic and admitted the driver had pulled out without looking. At the time it looked like there was no damage, but afterwards we realised that there was a very subtle dent in the door, which we ended up paying out to get fixed So in all honesty I think the other party have done the right thing. At the very least I would want a professional to check for structural damage.

 

[elephant29]

Sorry you had a rotten experience hun.

I was comng out of Tesco carpark and a girl reversed into me. She came out of her space without looking. She was sooo apologetic at the time. I was just fantic as my 9 week old son was in the side that was hit. I got home and my car was scratched and has a dent. I contacted her saying I needed to claim as couldnt afford to fix it and she turned so nasty saying I hit her etc etc! It's still ongoing now! People can be really horrid when it come to cars/insurance etc!

xxx

 

[cutebowsxx]

Something similar happened to me and they claimed through soliciters! My insurance had to pay out £1600, and there was no damage at all.

I hope this doesnt happen to you guys.

Oh no I hope not too. I take it your insurance went up because of it?

Glad you are both ok. People can be awful. A number of years ago my dad had a very minor accident at a junction when he went into the back of a Jag. He pulled round the corner and pull in but the Jag had driven off and after a few min he didn't see it again. As he didn't have any of the car details he didn't do anything about it. A few months later he got a court summons and was charged with dangerous driving, failure to stop at the scene of the accident and failing to report an accident. Apparently the Jag driver waited about 10min and then followed my dad and got his reg number. He then claimed my dad had caused £2500 worth of damage, some of it to the front of the Jag even though it was a rear accident and the Jag hadn't hit anything else!!! Given my dad was doing about 5mph and the Jag wasn't moving and my dad couldn't see any damage not sure how the reckoned on £2500. Anyhow the pm of the day he was in court my parent had a very major car accident in which my mum nearly died. About 2 weeks later my dad had a letter asking for the money and he told them what he though of it all - he ended up not paying the fine

So basically what i'm trying to say is that some people will try and get money out of you for no reason. Fine, if there is actual damage to the car or yourself, but when there isn't then it just shows what these people are really like.

Oh my god, that is terrible hun. So sorry to hear that! Glad there was a good outcome with the second incident though! X

 

[Amarna]

Oh yuck! People can be such a**hats when it comes to cars and insurance. I understand there may be damage, etc but there's no reason to treat someone like that. Accidents happen to the best of us!

We were reversed into in a parking lot the other day, the guy was on his cell phone and not looking, slammed right into the rented tow dolly that we had attached to my husband's truck because guess what, my other car had died so I was already in a pretty foul mood. I almost fell out of the damn truck 'cuz I was getting in right when he hit us! Which being as far along as I am could have caused some problems to say the least. Was he apologetic? No. So we called the cops and had them file a report and take down his insurance info for us because he wouldn't just give it, we wouldn't have even done that if he would have just given us the insurance info so we could get it to the rental company. And even then we didn't freak out and start speaking rudely to him or anything, tho I really really wanted to!

Point is, people suck, especially with insurance stuff. I hope things work out for you!

 

[cutebowsxx]

They are doing the right thing contacting their insurance, you should do the same.

If you hadn't, I presume you'd inform your insurer of the incident when they ask for any accidents in the last 3/5 years? Like it or not, they use it to form an assessment of risk level.. Not maybe what you want to hear however I'm in agreement with the other party here (on informing insurers, not any claim that may or may not materialise)

Edited to add: I was once hit from behind at very low speed, and when I took my car to be checked it had £400 of structural damage - jut because the door isn't caved in do not presume there is no damage.

Even a low speed impact with no visible damage can cause considerable damage to the underside of the vehicle. Also, whiplash can occur in an accident with a speed as low as 5mph. Sorry, but be prepared for a claim against your policy.

I seriously do not need a lecture. I'm NOT exactly mad that they want to inform the insurance.. I'm furious at the way we were treated. If they were decent human beings and said something like 'Sorry but I feel it's the right thing to go through insurance' then fair enough, completely understandable. And yes we have informed our insurance actually.

Also, If they wanted to do things that proper then the police should have been called at the scene. Looking back that's what we should have done. But this coming from two young people who have NEVER been in a situation like that before, panicking, scared, in shock as the car seemed to have appeared from nowhere and got spoken to like complete utter sh*t.

 

[suzib76]

They are doing the right thing contacting their insurance, you should do the same.

If you hadn't, I presume you'd inform your insurer of the incident when they ask for any accidents in the last 3/5 years? Like it or not, they use it to form an assessment of risk level.. Not maybe what you want to hear however I'm in agreement with the other party here (on informing insurers, not any claim that may or may not materialise)

Edited to add: I was once hit from behind at very low speed, and when I took my car to be checked it had £400 of structural damage - jut because the door isn't caved in do not presume there is no damage.

^ this ^

insurance is there for a reason, and it doesnt matter if there is a huge whiplash claim or no claim and they are just notifying them, fact is you have to tell them, they are there to protect you, thats why we pay them every month. have heard so many horror stories of minor bumps where the person at fault has paid the other party to have car repaired to avoid an insurance claim, only for the party to go ahead and claim anyway. protect yourselves and ALWAYS report an incident

just to add i too have been in a very low impact bump (front bumper into rear) and both cars had no visable damage, however it had damaged a sensor behind the bumper which caused the fans to run all the time and cost £150 to fix

 

[Redhead84]

Well to be fair you have talked in your original post about wanting to go and give them a piece of your mind... I do not condone people swearing at you, but you seem to want to do the same thing..

You also said they want to go to insurance... "...FOR WHAT.."

I, and another, have you an opinion about why it is correct and proper that insurance is involved, and just because you don't like what we have to say you presume we are lecturing.

I have been involved in car accidents before, and my OH has been in one that is just about as serious as it gets without a fatal, and people react on adrenalin and instinct when it happens - I am sorry that you were shouted/sworn at, however you actually did the best thing in staying calm and not letting the situation escalate further.

Take deep breaths, be assured that you were the bigger (morally) people at the time, regardless of fault, and let your insurance deal with it.