What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Child hit my car, what are my options?
A young girl ran across the road without looking and hit the passenger side wing of my car. Very fortunately I was not going fast having just turned in to the road and the young girl has not been injured. She admitted she tried to run across the road without looking. I have notified the police and my insurer, but have had not response from either.
My car is a brand new Porsche and has sustained some damage to the wing, bonnet and light scratches to the paint work. It will go in to body repair shop for a full assessment next week.
I do not really want to claim for the repair costs from my insurer and the girl's parents have indicated that they have no spare money to pay me for the repair costs.
Do you know what happens in such instances other than taking legal action?
My car is a brand new Porsche and has sustained some damage to the wing, bonnet and light scratches to the paint work. It will go in to body repair shop for a full assessment next week.
I do not really want to claim for the repair costs from my insurer and the girl's parents have indicated that they have no spare money to pay me for the repair costs.
Do you know what happens in such instances other than taking legal action?
Asked on 3 May 2022 by pams
Answered by
Sarah Tooze
Insurance company LV= General Insurance has advised us on this.
Its claims director Martin Milliner says: "Without knowing the full details of the case it’s hard to talk too specifically, but the options for the driver are threefold - pay for the repairs himself, make a claim on his insurance or begin legal proceedings against the girl’s parents, something we would strongly advise against. In all likelihood, given the girl’s age and the fact she said she wasn’t looking before crossing, any small claims court or judge would argue that it was an accident and the driver was equally culpable, regardless of whether he was driving within the speed limit. That course of action could also give rise to a counterclaim for the injuries suffered by the young pedestrian.
“The best course of action in the circumstances would be for the driver to pay for the repair out of his own pocket. However, it’s worth noting that as he has already informed his insurer of the crash, whether he makes a claim or not it will be classified as ‘open’ on his policy for at least three years and this could affect the cost of his insurance and his no claims discount position.”
Its claims director Martin Milliner says: "Without knowing the full details of the case it’s hard to talk too specifically, but the options for the driver are threefold - pay for the repairs himself, make a claim on his insurance or begin legal proceedings against the girl’s parents, something we would strongly advise against. In all likelihood, given the girl’s age and the fact she said she wasn’t looking before crossing, any small claims court or judge would argue that it was an accident and the driver was equally culpable, regardless of whether he was driving within the speed limit. That course of action could also give rise to a counterclaim for the injuries suffered by the young pedestrian.
“The best course of action in the circumstances would be for the driver to pay for the repair out of his own pocket. However, it’s worth noting that as he has already informed his insurer of the crash, whether he makes a claim or not it will be classified as ‘open’ on his policy for at least three years and this could affect the cost of his insurance and his no claims discount position.”
We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.
Insurance group finder and how to save on insuranceSimilar questions
My daughter, a bicycle courier, was knocked off her bike while working. The driver who ran into her admitted liability, but doesn't want to go through his insurance. He has offered to give her the equivalent...
My friend had a very minor car accident. No damage was done to either car and no one was hurt in any way. Both drivers say it was the others' fault. There were no witnesses. The other driver was the only...
My car was involved in an accident last week. It was being driven by a valet parking driver (driving towards Gatwick to meet us at the airport). My car has been written off and two other cars have been...
.jpg)
