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Hi, hoping for the advice of the hive mind on a car insurance claim issue.
My mum was picking up an ebay purchase this evening, parked her car, and was chatting to the seller in the doorway. While this is going on a lady driving a white van comes round the corner and scrapes along the back of my mums parked car. Parks "her" van and gets out to go into her house.
At this point my mum and the ebay seller go over to talk to her to point out she has just scraped the back of my mums car, she looks, apologises then gives my mum her husbands name and insurance details and says that my mum needs to claim against that and say the husband was driving.
The seller has said they are happy to be a witness to what has actually happened and my mum does not want to lie and say the husband was driving, but the woman has not provided her name, only her husbands.
My question I guess, is does my mum have enough to go tobher insurance with, she has the reg number, the address, a witness to what has happened, but only has the name of the husband not the actual driver. If she gives this info to her insurance Co when they open tomorrow will that be enough, what is the likely outcome here?
Yes, I'd relay that whole story to my insurance company just like you told it.
And then the police for good measure.
Police certainly. Pop into the local nick and report exactly what happened.
The likely outcome is that she was hit by an uninsured driver, however….. there is a policy to claim against, so that’s what to do. Use your own insure co. explain exactly what happened. You’ll have few issues with the claim but things will get very messy at the other end. Hopefully involving the police, some awkward* questions and a conviction.
*if the policy holder knew she had the van then he’s in on it and will get done. If he claims he didn’t know about it then she’s stolen the vehicle - it’s a brilliant conundrum
Just pass the reg and details of the incident over, that's why you insurance, let them sort it.
I'd try and get some sort of reply by text or email from the witness as soon as possible, i.e. state what happened and ask her to reply and confirm its an accurate account.
Even if its not admissible to your insurance, it may be enough to persuade the witness to remain 'onside' when they realise its not worth falling out with a neighbour and decide they can't remember what happened!
Remember what happened to Chris Huhne when he tried to pull that stunt?
Failure to provide driver details is an offence under the Road traffic act 1988.Link
If it were me I'd report it to the police and let my insurance company sort out the mess.
The fact that the driver wants your mum to say the driver was the husband suggests that she's not insured.
Yes your mum's premiums may go up but does she really want to get in the middle of insurance fraud?
Just pass the reg and details of the incident over, that’s why you insurance, let them sort it.
This. I'm not sure why people complain about the cost of it and then try not to use it.
What Phil said.
You need the driver's name and the reg number, any other details after that is your insurer's problem to track down.
But leaving the scene of an accident without providing driver details is an offence. Asking you to lie is insurance fraud, she was surely driving uninsured and she knows it. Get the police involved.