Car accident - need advice

M

martomcg

Guest
i was involved in a car accident last wednesday at 7.50am. i was pulling out of my estate and was hit by another driver. i didnt see the car coming, he smashed into me and his car is a write off. i have since found out i will probably be found liable.

I have been advised by friends to try and settle it without the insurance company as he was driving quite an old car and it would be cheaper on me in the long run.

He has already had his insurance company tow his wreck away.

Where do i stand? Is it too late to settle this with him? how long do i have before its too lateto settle it myself?

any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
I suppose firstly be glad you walked out of it. I'm assuming no one was injured.
In terms of liability, yes you probably should have seen him, but what speed was he doing to write his car off? Some of the liability may lie with him.
You'll need to ask him what the cost is firstly, accept this may affect your no claims etc, but it may be cheaper then shelling out a few grand to replace his car, not to mention your own bills
 
it actually doesnt matter what speed he was doing ive been told, he was on the main road and had right of way so i cant reli play that card, my insurance policy is likely to double but he was only driving a 94 opel astra so i reckon it would probably cheaper to pay the price of another 1
 
I know, anecdotally speaking, that its often cheaper,in the long run, to settle property damage claims directly than go via the insurance company. Just a word of warning if the driver of the other car decides to sue you for personal injury later your premiums will be affected anyway so if you decide to settle directly only do so if you are 100% positive that there isnt a personal injury claim coming down the tracks.
 
Why not let your insurer sort out how much this guy should receive and then settle privately, alternatively some insurers allow you to repay low cost claims to prevent any impact on your policy.
 
Madangan is giving you some very good advice
it is worth calling on the other party, and enquire on his or her well being,
ofer them a cash settlement for their property, if there is no personal injury, BUT ensure to have the other party sign a receipt stating that this is a FULL and FINAL settlement.
i was is a smack 6 years ago that was questionable where the responsibility lay, i thoughht it was easer to pay the other party , i paid in cash and 2 years later the P.I.A.B (personal injury assistment board) wrote to me stating that he was persuing a case for personal injusy.
 
I agree with ACA. In this day and age he probably will go for a personal injury claim.
I would check with your company if they will allow you to repay a claim if it turns out to be low, without it affecting your NCB.
Then wait and see how much is paid out. If it's just for the car then repay the company and get your NCB back. If there's a high payout then you will just have to grin and bear it and be thankful nobody was badly hurt.
 

It’s dangerous trying to settle it yourself. By doing so, you could be admitting liability and then he would be free to start claiming personal injury, be it genuine or not.

This causes a dilemma. If you did go ahead and settle, you would have to do it in cash and give nothing in writing. If he was a bastard, he could then go ahead and make an official claim against you, denying the first transaction took place.

These are just scenarios to consider before you make your decision. Best of luck with it.
 
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