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I'm worried that my 1994 Toyota Estima may be written off after an accident - how can I avoid this?
At the entrance to a roundabout, I hit a W-reg car which had stopped and then was heavily hit from behind by another 08-reg car. My insurance company has told me it will give me a car to drive whilst mine is being repaired. A garage has been in touch about the repairs. It is going to use a camera to access the damage, and the images will be sent to my insurers, I presume. All the cars were able to drive away from the scene.
The damage to my car, and the one I hit, is visibly small. The boot lid of my car, a 1994 8-seater Toyota Estima, was hard to open and close and the glass of the lights is cracked. I have whiplash symptoms with aching neck and shoulders, but everybody else seemed to be all right at the time. I have read insurance stories on your page, and am afraid I might lose my Toyota because of its age. It is in perfect condition. Can you advise me of any pitfalls I should look out for with my dealings with my insurance company?
The damage to my car, and the one I hit, is visibly small. The boot lid of my car, a 1994 8-seater Toyota Estima, was hard to open and close and the glass of the lights is cracked. I have whiplash symptoms with aching neck and shoulders, but everybody else seemed to be all right at the time. I have read insurance stories on your page, and am afraid I might lose my Toyota because of its age. It is in perfect condition. Can you advise me of any pitfalls I should look out for with my dealings with my insurance company?
Asked on 21 May 2011 by JJ, Colwyn Bay.
Answered by
Honest John
Your car is only worth a few hundred pounds and any sensible insurer will try to write it off. That would be the best solution. Or for your insurer to give you a few hundred to fix it yourself and leave the matter at that.
It reads like you have fallen into the clutches of some kind of accident management specialist, but your duty to your insurer and the other parties’ insurers is to 'mitigate your losses'. If the AMS puts you into a credit hire car at £200 a day, you may well find yourself ultimately liable for the cost of the hire car.
It reads like you have fallen into the clutches of some kind of accident management specialist, but your duty to your insurer and the other parties’ insurers is to 'mitigate your losses'. If the AMS puts you into a credit hire car at £200 a day, you may well find yourself ultimately liable for the cost of the hire car.
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