- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 10,675
- Location
- South Bucks
- Car
- CLS63 SB, SLK55, CLK350 'Vert, Triumph Sprint (Bike not Dolly...),
Good morning all. I had a little accident in my '03 E55K estate yesterday...
I was driving along, minding my own business, at 65-70 mph or so on the A3290 dual carriageway out of Reading. Just about to go past a Transit tipper truck belonging to a demolition firm, loaded with what looked like scrap ducting, when a chunk of metal sheet flew off the load and landed on my car.
Fortunately, the driver stopped, and we exchanged details, and my wife took some pictures, mostly of the truck, but one of the driver holding the offending piece of metal, which he had retrieved from the road.
The load was strapped on, not covered with netting, so clearly it was an insecure load. I wouldn't want to put the driver's job in jeopardy, so did not call the police. I've been in touch with the firm, and it looks as though they will not try to avoid liability.
The screen took most of the impact; it is badly cracked and requires replacement. The bonnet is scratched, gouged and scuffed, and could be either panel-beaten, filled and sprayed, or replaced with a new one; my bodyshop advises that a new bonnet would be best. Apart from one tiny chip on the NSF wing, and a couple of tiny scuffs on the front edge of the roof above the screen, that is all the damage. No injuries were caused (no, not even whiplash...).
I will get the job done at my local bodyshop; they have quoted £2300, including an OE screen (very reasonably priced, they say) and a new bonnet.
I'm just about to send the estimate off to the truck's owners, but having spoken to them, it will probably be an insurance job. Paying for the repair is not a problem, so once the insurance firm has sent an assessor (I assume they will), will I prejudice my position in any way by just cracking on and getting the work done, and awaiting the insurance settlement in due course?
I was driving along, minding my own business, at 65-70 mph or so on the A3290 dual carriageway out of Reading. Just about to go past a Transit tipper truck belonging to a demolition firm, loaded with what looked like scrap ducting, when a chunk of metal sheet flew off the load and landed on my car.
Fortunately, the driver stopped, and we exchanged details, and my wife took some pictures, mostly of the truck, but one of the driver holding the offending piece of metal, which he had retrieved from the road.
The load was strapped on, not covered with netting, so clearly it was an insecure load. I wouldn't want to put the driver's job in jeopardy, so did not call the police. I've been in touch with the firm, and it looks as though they will not try to avoid liability.
The screen took most of the impact; it is badly cracked and requires replacement. The bonnet is scratched, gouged and scuffed, and could be either panel-beaten, filled and sprayed, or replaced with a new one; my bodyshop advises that a new bonnet would be best. Apart from one tiny chip on the NSF wing, and a couple of tiny scuffs on the front edge of the roof above the screen, that is all the damage. No injuries were caused (no, not even whiplash...).
I will get the job done at my local bodyshop; they have quoted £2300, including an OE screen (very reasonably priced, they say) and a new bonnet.
I'm just about to send the estimate off to the truck's owners, but having spoken to them, it will probably be an insurance job. Paying for the repair is not a problem, so once the insurance firm has sent an assessor (I assume they will), will I prejudice my position in any way by just cracking on and getting the work done, and awaiting the insurance settlement in due course?