reporting accident to insurance company

[kusanku]

A friend of mine was involved in an accident today. His CLC skidded off the road, and into a ditch, causing minor damage. Unfortunately another car coming along the same road skidded in exactly the same manner, went into the ditch and into the back of his car, causing somewhat more significant damage. Now the driver of the second car said he does not want to go through insurance, so the CLC is at a Mercedes main dealer today, and my friend will get a quote from the body shop tomorrow, which he will pass on to the driver of the other car. He has not informed his insurance company.

He told me this over the phone this evening, and I am a little concerned. He has fully comp insurance, and uninsured loss recovery, so I recommended he use it. His plan is to get the quote tomorrow, and phone this through to the driver of the second car, giving him the option of covering the cost himself within a set time. My worry is that the other driver might say he will pay as a stalling tactic, with no intention of doing so, by which time several weeks will have passed with the accident not being reported to the insurance company.

Does anyone else think that he should just report it to his insurance company to let them deal with it, and that agreeing to let the other driver cover the cost himself without going via insurance is just too risky?

 

[Aoraki]

Risky! I would certainly inform insurance co.

 

[blaser24nig]

It is possible for him to inform his insurance company for notification purposes only and tell them not to pursue the 3rd party yet. Also he needs to find out ASAP what it would cost to fix his car and relate this to the driver of the other car and should expect the driver to pay up within a week or he instructs his insurance company to pursue the claim.

Ps: How does he work out which damage was caused by the other driver?

 

[DJM]

I smell a rat!

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

I've only ever ditched a car once.. and it bent the rear axle.. but it didn't expose itself until I drove over 60mph.. when it made it really difficult to steer properly for some bizarre reason. Anyway, I'd still report all details to my insurer, whether pursued for claim or not.

 

[219]

Agreed with the others - he should fill out an insurence report and mark it 'for information only' at this stage . He should tell his insurer that other party has accepted responsibility and offered to pay for damage - then , in the event that other party does not pay , your friend can instruct his insurers to pursue the matter without any difficulty .

Only (minor) difficulty will be separating bills for damage done by your friend before being hit by other car , from damage caused by third party .

Of course , the garage may 'neglect' to separate these things and bill entire amount to third party

 

[markjay]

Is the other driver insured?

If the other driver is un-insured trying to avoid being found out, then it is surely better to settle with him directly if possible, than to risk having claim it on your own insurance as the other driver is not insured?

 

[kusanku]

I assume the other driver is insured, but I did wonder if this was why he wanted to cover the costs himself? He should get the quote tomorrow, so hopefully he can guage the reaction of the other driver when he tells him the cost. MB main dealer body shop is not going to be cheap.

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

Also I assume that the accident (involving both vehicles) was reported to the police?
Which would partially resolve the issue that the other driver may be uninsured?

If accident damage is more substantial or if several vehicles are involved in the incident, the accident should be reported to the police immediately. As a driver of a vehicle you must stay at the scene until the police arrive and then co-operate fully with them. In any case, all road traffic accidents MUST be reported to a police station or to a police constable within 24 hours. Failure to do so could lead to prosecution, a fine and points on your licence.

 

[Dryce]

Is the other driver insured?

If the other driver is un-insured trying to avoid being found out, then it is surely better to settle with him directly if possible, than to risk having claim it on your own insurance as the other driver is not insured?

This is a mixed bag.

Unless I was totally confident that the damage only involved switching a few parts or I personally knew the bodyshop dealing with it then I'd be worried about where this could lead.

There is plenty of scope to think that damage is minor and then fall off your seat when you see a reputable estimate once the vehicle has been properly assessed and all the details listed and costed.

 

[kusanku]

To my knowledge the incident was not reported to the police. Neither party was injured, and it was a rear-end shunt, so I suppose nobody thought it necessary. One of the things that occurred to me was how they are going to agree on what damage was done by the initial stid into the ditch, and which was caused by the rear-end shunt.

Spoke to my friend again, as he was expecting the quote from MB bodyshop yesterday. Unfortunately, they had not done this yet. I recommended, as suggested here, that he report it to the insurance company now, but specify that he is not making a claim at this point. I think he intends to follow this advice.

Thank you eveyone for your advice.

 

[markjay]

The way I see it.... if the other driver was indeed un-insured, it would be worth his while to settle rather than being fund out.

But once the issue gets out of hand and police are involved, the other driver would no longer have any motivation to settle, as he has nothing to gain from it, and (sadly) the type of people who drive un-insured tend to be those from whom recovering a personal debt would be very difficult?

 

[LTD]

100% insurance claim.

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

He has exchanged details so no need to report to the police now, however if he reads his insurance blurb it will state he MUST report all collisions to them or they will not pay out in event of a claim.

If the other driver whelchs on thier verbal agreement he is going to get left high and dry. Get him to report it now, no need to make a claim but defo record the RTC with them.

 

[Pappilo]

Must definitely notify his insurers.

 

[grober]

Insurance job definitely. For any thing more than mere cosmetic damage your friend is taking a risk not informing his own insurance company as they would definitely class this a "notifiable event" How this guy can hope to cover the damage to 2 separate cars out of his own pocket seems questionable?

 

[ctydwllr]

I agree... Any accident involving more than minor damage should be reported. Damage only where parties exchange details requires no police report.

If you enter into private arrangements and bypass your insurer it becomes a civil matter between the parties. Why go there? Especially if your the innocent party.
Madder than a mad thing.
Although.... Quite a generous albeit foolish gesture.