Someone crashed into the back of the car, help

[MSG2004]

Hello

We were moving in nose-to-tail traffic and had stopped. We had been stationary for about 4/5 seconds then a bang.
Our car was held on the brake ie the Mercedes quick tap brake and take foot off the brake and the car does not move until you
depress the accelerator

The damage is a slight ding to the top rea of the bumper and scratches on the bumper that are light and a couple of markets, about 25mm each on the plastic bit of the bumper.

We were coming back to London from up north and was in their town centre. We drove for about an hour in slow-moving traffic in the town plus on the motorway, start/stop type stuff rarely going over 30mph

My question is - is this a coincidence or possibly the result of the shunt that sounded like the engine malfunctioned in a big way, Me and my wife said to me, "what was that" and for a second I thought the engine blew up then I looked in the rearview mirror, the guy had panted his SUV into the back of our car ( he was not insured etc that another story)
When I was able to drive at over 30mph on the motorway, speed around 70 - I often, well almost always like a misery manually shift up the gears to save fuel. I noted the paddle shift on the gLE was not making that slight click feel when depressed - we carried on our journey - and noted that the car was changing gears all nine of them as it should be - downshifting on the paddle shit as it should be but on the up=shift, the paddle shift is not making that like reassuring click but still shifts up but display the M symbol in place of the D. (the guy had planted his SUV into the back of my car at a slight angle and made impact with the rear left,half side, ie it was not as you would expect a slow speed taile end smashe but the guy caught the half of the bumper from the centre of my car towards the passenger side if that makes sense

I turned off the ignition and restarted at the service station - no change - came home tried it again, no difference. I also noted the electric tailgate hesitates when opening

The car has been owned by me since brand new 2015, gle 250d - FSH by MB and now done just under 22k miles

I've never has issues to the suto box unit after the shunt - no lights on dash

So, is the paddle shift probel a coincidence as well as the boot?

I keep the car in good condition and its really only been driven by me. The car has the auto box service as per spec at 5 years


I'm sure I have confused you guys - so please seek clarification as required - Thanks

 

[markjay]

Sorry to hear this.

I can't help with the technical side of things, but I'm wondering what's your plan as far as repairs go, given that you said that the other driver was uninsured? Were the police involved?

 

[MSG2004]

No plans re repairs - been to a funeral - got hospital appts - I did ring the cops the bloke was pissed that's why I rang the cops - we were on a very long road and could not give the cops the exact location and they guy was trying to drive away - funny thing I asked four other driver behind us where we were, no one knew - I held the guy up for about 15 mins , twice when trying to drive away - should have got his keys too old for that - they gave us a crime ref number - we just wanted to get back home - as we started to drive on a a coupe of minutes later an unmaked cop car did try to make it through the traffic - I will file an online report - the main reason I called the cops was his slurred sepach and not being able to stand up straight, walk slightly like a drunk - I recall the guy from 5 mins earlier when I gave way as he waited to enter the road but stalled and then started looking do to left middle so we drove on - then further down - was we again waited in nose to tail traffic - he drove into the back of us as we were already stationary - credit to the idiot - he confessed to not having insurance and mates car but when he started bangin on about "there is no damaged to your car - wound me up a bit as hed plated firmly into our car - was as deleiberating calling cops when I first went to his car as he spoke like a drunk but I thought he might have a speech problem - but after a few seconds of chat, I was convinced he was pissed and when he got out of the car that onfird it - I've drank since the age of 18, 60 know and was a regular pub goer and can often tell when some is pissed - when I called the cops, there were two things, I feared him attacking me or snatch phone out - I asked my wife to give him a pice of paper to write his details as he was polite towards her, and i was on the phone to cops he noted this but thankfully did not try to attack me but did try to drive away twice i stopped him buy standing front corner of his car - he had troble reversing the car, had to twice and i eventually moved out of the way - he left in the slow traffic - but we, me and wife felt no use risking like buy following him - insult to injusry, the mobile phone was not connectiong to handsfree - all in all in the schem of things it could have been worse and even worse if he' knocked someone over


I thought I had the video on not great on mobile, but it was not working but luckily as I took pics of the rear of his car the reg - he is in the pic - so I will be sending the cops all the details, car reg which they have and pics - the guy said it was his mate's car, I think he was being so honest and actually begged my wife to tell me not to call the cops - I know I should not but I did feel a bit sorry for him but in hindsight done the right thing as being totally pissed on a Thursday at around 15-30 driving a big SUV in town is a recipe for disaster


Re the paddle-shift upshift - it is not making the reassuring light click but the downshift still does - the auto box works fine otherwise

 

[MSG2004]

Btw - i doid not want the share the above bit initially - but thought I would - I wont share the reg or his pics here

Thankfully, the uninsured car that went into back of urs car does have a current mot and tax and I guess he was being hones and it was his "mates car." (Audi Q5) )it may have insurance but not for the driver that hit us

 

[Pontoneer]

Hello

We were moving in nose-to-tail traffic and had stopped. We had been stationary for about 4/5 seconds then a bang.
Our car was held on the brake ie the Mercedes quick tap brake and take foot off the brake and the car does not move until you
depress the accelerator

The damage is a slight ding to the top rea of the bumper and scratches on the bumper that are light and a couple of markets, about 25mm each on the plastic bit of the bumper.

We were coming back to London from up north and was in their town centre. We drove for about an hour in slow-moving traffic in the town plus on the motorway, start/stop type stuff rarely going over 30mph

My question is - is this a coincidence or possibly the result of the shunt that sounded like the engine malfunctioned in a big way, Me and my wife said to me, "what was that" and for a second I thought the engine blew up then I looked in the rearview mirror, the guy had panted his SUV into the back of our car ( he was not insured etc that another story)
When I was able to drive at over 30mph on the motorway, speed around 70 - I often, well almost always like a misery manually shift up the gears to save fuel. I noted the paddle shift on the gLE was not making that slight click feel when depressed - we carried on our journey - and noted that the car was changing gears all nine of them as it should be - downshifting on the paddle shit as it should be but on the up=shift, the paddle shift is not making that like reassuring click but still shifts up but display the M symbol in place of the D. (the guy had planted his SUV into the back of my car at a slight angle and made impact with the rear left,half side, ie it was not as you would expect a slow speed taile end smashe but the guy caught the half of the bumper from the centre of my car towards the passenger side if that makes sense

I turned off the ignition and restarted at the service station - no change - came home tried it again, no difference. I also noted the electric tailgate hesitates when opening

The car has been owned by me since brand new 2015, gle 250d - FSH by MB and now done just under 22k miles

I've never has issues to the suto box unit after the shunt - no lights on dash

So, is the paddle shift probel a coincidence as well as the boot?

I keep the car in good condition and its really only been driven by me. The car has the auto box service as per spec at 5 years


I'm sure I have confused you guys - so please seek clarification as required - Thanks

The vehicle needs to be examined by a motor engineer , who should be aware of the incident , so that he can specifically look for correlation between damage/symptoms and the collision .

As for the other party being uninsured , he is still personally liable , and that is what legal cover on your insurance is for - find out what assets he has - e.g. his car , any property he owns - if he is uninsured then he might be forced to liquidate some of his assets . Why should you suffer for his wrongdoing - after all , he crashed into you , and if he isn't insured , you shouldn't suffer as a result of that .

Also run checks on the vehicle , find out who is the insurer of last resort ( the last company to write cover on that vehicle ) as you may have a claim against them via the MIB ( and I don't mean the men in black ) .

 

[Pontoneer]

Btw - i doid not want the share the above bit initially - but thought I would - I wont share the reg or his pics here

Thankfully, the uninsured car that went into back of urs car does have a current mot and tax and I guess he was being hones and it was his "mates car." (Audi Q5) )it may have insurance but not for the driver that hit us

If the owner gave permission for this person to drive it , then his insurers ARE liable ; owner would have to report car stolen otherwise .

Did you not tell the police you suspected the driver was drunk ? It may be too late now to prove it , but driving without insurance is still going to get him charged .

You need to hand this to your own insurer and point out that if he was driving with the owner's knowledge/permission and the vehicle not reported stolen then the owner's insurers are liable for the third party claim - they can refuse to pay for the damage to their insured vehicle , but they cannot refuse a third party claim - you need a good lawyer , and report to MIB ( motor insurers bureau , who deal with claims against uninsured drivers ) if you do not get satisfaction , go to insurance ombudsman .

Since this just happened today , chase police to pursue , if the driver was VERY drunk , he may even now still be over the limit and could still be charged for drunk driving .

Don't waste time and don't let this go . You want all the damage paid for by the other side and for your own claims history to remain untarnished .

 

[Pontoneer]

Afterthought : although he did stop ( because he had no option due to being boxed in ) did he provide his full details ? Failure to do so is an offence : he MUST supply his name and address , and those of the vehicle owner , if different ) . Leaving the scene without providing these details is an offence in itself ; in addition to driving whilst in excess of the prescribed blood/alcohol level , driving without insurance , careless driving ( at a minimum ) and if he actually drove at you while you were attempting to prevent his escape that escalates to dangerous driving / reckless driving .

You really must get a specialist motoring lawyer on the case re this matter , and time is of the essence . You also need a proper motor engineer's report on the condition of your vehicle ; the other vehicle is unlikely to be undamaged , so get your insurer to look into whether any claim has been submitted vs that vehicle - do not be surprised if they have been informed , somehow , that the incident was YOUR fault - people will dream up the most incredible stories , so be on your guard against this .

 

[markjay]

Btw - i doid not want the share the above bit initially - but thought I would - I wont share the reg or his pics here

Thankfully, the uninsured car that went into back of urs car does have a current mot and tax and I guess he was being hones and it was his "mates car." (Audi Q5) )it may have insurance but not for the driver that hit us

If the other-party's vehicle was insured but the driver personnelly not, then the other-party's insurer WILL pay you the repair costs plus expenses (they will then try and recover their loss from the uninsured driver). It's worth seeing if you can get the police to give you the name of the Audi's insurer, you can them call them and file a claim against the Audi's policy.

 

[MSG2004]

If the owner gave permission for this person to drive it , then his insurers ARE liable ; owner would have to report car stolen otherwise .

Did you not tell the police you suspected the driver was drunk ? It may be too late now to prove it , but driving without insurance is still going to get him charged .

You need to hand this to your own insurer and point out that if he was driving with the owner's knowledge/permission and the vehicle not reported stolen then the owner's insurers are liable for the third party claim - they can refuse to pay for the damage to their insured vehicle , but they cannot refuse a third party claim - you need a good lawyer , and report to MIB ( motor insurers bureau , who deal with claims against uninsured drivers ) if you do not get satisfaction , go to insurance ombudsman .

Since this just happened today , chase police to pursue , if the driver was VERY drunk , he may even now still be over the limit and could still be charged for drunk driving .

Don't waste time and don't let this go . You want all the damage paid for by the other side and for your own claims history to remain untarnished .

Hi Yes - I told them everything - but the rod was long and we did not know where were exactly - I asked 4/5 other drivers no one knew - at the same time I had to keep an eye on the guy and also stop him from driving off up to three times - the driver was very drunk and I can tell as I've seen many drunks

 

[MSG2004]

Thank to all - Update - you hear stories re police could not do anything and this is one pf those

Last night I rang the 101 number - I was staggered to learn the "case was closed as drive not found/located"
I challenged them with the fact that I looked up the mot and road tax and the car was taxed and mot's.
I reminded the call handler re the fact the driver stated himself the "car belong to a friend and he did not have insurance."
I reminded them that the driver drove off without giving details and was clearly drunk
The car is apparently registered outside the area that police force covers


FYI - the driver was not boxed in as the main road is very wide there and he could have easily driven down the middle of the road or U turn.
In my judgement the way he tried to reverse the car, he was very drunk and not familiar with the cars gears

Last night I completed a complaint against the police

today later on I will do an online request

my insurance, had a quick look online last night, (I often go for the top-spec ins, and am insured for for uninsured drivers and not have to pay excess etc -

The crux of the matter is I told the cops and reminded them that the driver could already have been banned and his next accident may result in linking one or more people as the driver was seriously pissed

I intend to take this further as I have mug shots of the driver

==========

The paddle shift - the upshift no longer presses down when pushed, ie no slight movement in it as it should be but it still works


ATM - I have many hspt apps for self and my wife - thanfually the car is still drivable and no urgent repairs are required. We are thankful that the accident was not much worse and i/we could have been attacked but sounds daft, credit to the bloke not shouting or making threads possibly because it was daylight and masses of people in cars that had to slow down and pass us

 

[MSG2004]

Re car and insurance claim - i will contact them later today and they either accept the paddle shift damage or not - therefore the paddle shift problem is the result of the hit and run or a freak coincidence

As I've said I've has the car since brand new and FSH by MB on the dot and low miles

Th

 

[keith of kent]

It may be worth seeing if your phone can help you to see where the accident occured. Go into google maps and look at timeline. Select the appropriate date and you may be lucky and find that it shows where you were stopped. If this is all a bit too tech for you get a young person to help!

 

[st13phil]

Hi Yes - I told them everything - but the rod was long and we did not know where were exactly

Regarding the exact location, you can try doing as @keith of kent suggested in his post above, or as you took photos at the scene on your phone they will have geolocation information as part of the photo EXIF data that should pinpoint where the incident took place.

Bearing in mind the uninsured driver aspect, that he was driving a car that "belonged to a friend", and that he failed to provide owner / insurance details at the time, I'd suggest handing it all over to your insurers to deal with.

Good luck with your complaint against the Police who don't seem to have covered themselves in glory. I suspect they have a policy of not attending non-injury RTA's (most areas do), but if you made an allegation that the other driver was intoxicated when you called them from the scene I'm surprised they didn't actually attend.

 

[StMarks]

Good luck with your complaint against the Police who don't seem to have covered themselves in glory. I suspect they have a policy of not attending non-injury RTA's (most areas do), but if you made an allegation that the other driver was intoxicated when you called them from the scene I'm surprised they didn't actually attend.

Fwiw about a month ago my nephew was driving home on the motorway, medium traffic & poor weather, when he ran into a (spanking new) VW van,,,, stopped in the middle lane. Other traffic prevented him from changing lanes to avoid, and the poor visibility coupled with the road conditions meant that the braking he managed only reduced the impact speed to "less than lethal"
Nephew's volo was totalled, as was VW van
The driver was about 18 ( with some similar aged mates ) & apparently it was his employer's van that he "hadn't got used to yet". He said he had "only passed his test a few moths ago" and "wasn't used to motorways yet, and got confused".
In my nephew's opinion he was clearly under the influence of something, or drunk (as were the other occupants) so when he called the emergency services he made sure to ask for Police as well as Ambulance.
Ambulance attended, Highways attended, tow trucks removed the crippled vehicles & the police didn't even make an appearance.!
To say that my nephew was "disappointed" would be painting it very lightly.
Obviously he put his hands up, that it was he who ran into the back of another vehicle so therefore deemed his fault for insurance, but he is pretty convinced that if traffic had bothered to put in an appearance the outcome may have been more "just".
He's certainly a lot more accepting of it than I think I would be, but when I put that to him his mature and measured response was that he was just thankful to have survived & largely unharmed.!

 

[MSG2004]

Thanks all

I used the maps as suggested and got the exact location
I have maged to do an online report a few mins ago - I am not hopeful but I will press for at least one visit to the registered owner
I will send the pics of the driver and the car reg

I was nervous, scared and did not mage to video as I feared an attack but did call coops

last night I made an official complaint re police lack of action

I risked getting a beating or worse and the main reason I called cops was the guy was 100% drunk or drugged

I was too optimistic as when I got in touch with my insurance, the car is not insured - I know its taxed and mot'd as I checked myself

Having spent over an hour on the phone, waiting and chatting giving details and then more time with another section of the insurance people, we went out to pick up an item - I noted my rear sensors are not operating just the camera so rang insurance again and updated

as its a none insured car, I'm only entitled to their approved repairs car but it will be an automatic - we have another car but will get that courtesy car deliver, from enterspie or may have to pick up as the car may be with them for a few days - they asked for pics for quote for insurance, all arranged via insurance but as I want a firmer quote I will drive up sometime next week in the hope parts are easily available and they don't have the car for more than a few days

I have no complaints against my insurance co as the are 5 star defacto rated whatever that is but they are polite and helpful but a million questions and typing - try to catch me out, lol but I have nothing to hide


re the paddle shift - the repair epole will send to to mercdes to diagnose and if not connected the 2/3 diagnosis may come to over 600 - I have been looking online cant see anyiting and fear/feel its a very unlucky coincidence - even when I told the insurance people I told them it may be a coincidence as I cant see the rear impact having an effect on the paddle shift - the car otherwise drive like new

sorry re typos, grammar, work out mainly due to getting the online report to the cops as my new chrmebook kept on throwing me out from the third page

I'm very confident the police will do **** all - honestly sorry re my language but this the thrid time in around t35 years we've been victims of uninsured parasites hitting our stationary cars - thankfully, no injuries;

 

[markjay]

You're right that if you've been hit by an uninsured driver, you're only option is to claim against your own insurance policy (assuming there's no personal injury).

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when the police take no interest in pursuing an uninsured drunk driver who caused an accident and then left the scene.

 

[st13phil]

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when the police take no interest in pursuing an uninsured drunk driver who caused an accident and then left the scene.

Without wishing to derail this thread, it’s a fine example of how the Police have managed to alienate the people who would be their natural supporters. The senior officers who decide the policies that lead to things like this are clearly fools.

 

[st13phil]

I'm very confident the police will do **** all

I fear you’re probably right in that assessment.

 

[markjay]

I think that it varies from one police force to another, but where this is indeed the case, I fully agree.

 

[Jukie]

I think that it varies from one police force to another, but where this is indeed the case, I fully agree.

It does/must do because we would have responded to that RTC without question, given the reported circumstances.

As has been previously stated, a non-injury RTC without any suspicion of impairment is not reportable and no force would respond.

When I read that police do not respond to incidents as reported here, I do not understand why (lack of resources is not a valid excuse IMO) and I am annoyed and embarrassed in equal measure, not to mention the eye rolling and head shaking.

I wish the OP well with his complaint and genuinely hope he succeeds.