I was in an accident it wasn’t my fault what do I do now ?
If you’re unfortunate enough to be out on the road minding your own business and then totally out of the blue somebody strikes you whether you are stationary in traffic or as can happen someone comes out of the side road and writes off your car causing you injury.
You find yourself with a damaged car maybe injuries and you have absolutely no clue what happens and what you should do to protect yourself.
The 1st thing to ensure is that you are safe and if you have any injuries you should call an ambulance .Get somebody to do it and get yourself assessed in a hospital.
All matters in relation to the car damage are secondary to your safety. On the basis that the party to blame has an insurance policy you need to get their details. When your solicitor has that information and policy number they can then process an application to get your car damage paid to you.
Insurance has become a very competitive business and all companies want to save as much money as they can. They are very efficient at contacting you in trying to settle your car claim as soon as possible. They do this simply to encourage you not to take the claim for your personal injuries.
Unfortunately what they offer and what will put you back in the position you were in before the accident are two different figures. This is especially so when your car is a few years old. While in the motor trade it may have a certain value to you it was your means of transport. You find the amount offered in settlement will not put you back in the same price car for that year.
Our advice is that you contact a solicitor who is used to dealing with all aspects of motor claims and injury claims.
It usually comes down to a negotiation on what the insurance company will pay and how close that will be towards a replacement car. There are also questions of a car to use while your own car is been assessed and valued. You are entitled to car hire usually for 3 weeks until you replace your car.
The insurance companies will try to settle all matters on the phone with you as soon as possible whether you are fully informed as to the value of your car or not. Our advice is not to deal directly with them if you are not sure you are getting the best value.
Insurance companies differ on how they deal with your car if it is written off. Some companies take your car and they sell it to a salvage company. To do this they need the vehicle registration certificate if valuations have been agreed.
Other companies simply tell you the address of a salvage company who are prepared to make an offer for the salvage and you must arrange with them directly to get the salvage value of your car when they take it away.
It is most unsatisfactory when you are innocent that you have to go to all this trouble to try and take you back to your pre-accident situation. The unfairness continues when you go with the amount your car is valued at and try and replace it. You will have to supplement what you receive. The insurance companies never seem to accept that this is the main reason people bring minor injury claims.
Innocent parties in our experience simply want to get back to the situation they were in pre-accident. As insurance companies fail to treat them reasonably they are left with no alternative but to lodge an injury board claim to back up the balance of the cost of a replacement car.
If you’ve been involved in an accident and have been unhappy with the treatment received from the insurance company please contact us to advise you on your case.