What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - CAO1308

I was involved in a rear end shunt, the girl that was involved said that there was no damage to her car at the side of the road and didnt even leave me her name or number. I was going no more than 20mph, she slammed on her breaks on a slip road to a dual carrigeway. She took my mobile number but said there was no damage to her car. I went to check my car out and by the time i turned back round she had driven off!
She has now called 26hours after listing minor imperfections which could have no relation to a rear end shunt(apart from a scratch on the bumper). Is there legal implcations for me if i want to see her car and want to avoid going through insurance. I am fully insured and have a full drivers licence.
I realise that if you go into the back of someone the insurance company pretty much says no contest, but i am not the lead driver on the policy and the lead driver is looking at loosing all their no claims.

I need good advice here. I'm not trying to get out of anything, but she is claiming that i cracked her front windscreen, and knocked the front tracking out, and one scratch to the back bumper. Everyone i know says that she is trying to take me for a ride.

All constructive comments welcome.

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - Ethan Edwards

Agreed sounds like your being scammed. Offer to only deal with her through your insurance company. They won't be so easily scammed. She'll only get the actual damage repaired by them.

You could offer to fully reimburse your insurers if you'd like...they'll jump at an offer like that.

Or you can make a counter offer to 'go through the insurance' and see if that changes her story.

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - V69

If you ran into the back of her in normal driving conditions and weren't shunted into her by someone else tail ending you, then I'd say the fault was yours. This being so, the onus is upon you, via your insurers, to make good any damage to her car. I am no expert but with just short of 50 years driving experience and, regrettably, having been involved in half a dozen or so incidents, my advice would be to report the incident to the insurers and let them take the matter forward. From what you say the young lady you ran into is making some absurd claims and any assessor will see through them in an instant. I understand the embarrassment you will feel if your lead driver does lose some or all of their no claims discount but, fair play, that's the way things work. No doubt they were aware of the possibility that you might have an accident which would result in a claim being made against their insurers and were happy to take that chance. It's about to happen and that's the luck of the draw. You need to contact the young lady and get full details of her vehicle and insurers to pass on to your lead driver's insurers. This sounds like a very minor incident which will dissolve into nothing once you go down the right channels.

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - Pizza man

you'll need to go through the insurance, although a cracked front windscreen sounds a bit fishy to me.....

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - jc2

Report her to the Police!

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - LucyBC

Tha accident is a rear end shunt with no frontal damage to the leading car which is insurance industry shorthand for you being at fault.

20mph is a very high speed for an impact with no damage. If there was previously damage to the other vehicle that could not have been caused by you then an assessor or loss adjuster will normally reject that and only pay for the damage you caused.

You need to put your insurer on notice of a possible claim in any event and you should be aware that she may well claim for a personal injury.

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - daveyjp

My advice? Do absolutely nothing.

From the original post it appears she was in so much of a hurry she drove off. The only details exchanged were a mobile phone number.

It is a legal requirement to exchange name, address, car reg and insurance details. She did none of this and gave you no opportunity to do so.

She alleges she has a damaged car, "your" car is not damaged.

Next phone call your response is "What accident? I don't know what you are talking about" and see what happens next.

Edited by daveyjp on 18/03/2011 at 12:50

Ford - KA - Advice NEEDED - Rear end shunt - Problem_Polo :-/

This driver is being thoroughly dishonest and is abusing the situation. You need to deal with her in an assertive and stern manner, sooner rather than later.

Tell her that you do not accept that the damage present on her vehicle was caused by the accident, and that you suspect her vehicle was unroadworthy at the time of the incident occuring. Tell her that you suspect that she is attempting to commit fraud, and that you are considering contacting the Police to report the matter, you will also report that she failed to provide you with her details and that she left the scene of the accident before you were able to inspect her vehicle, which you believe was a deliberate attempt to conceal the clearly unroadworthy condition of her car. Ask her to provide a full, signed list of any and all damage which she considers that you were responsible for, along with photographs of the vehicle, so that you can also provide this to the Police and to your insurers. If she wishes to proceed, point out that you will deal with it only through YOUR insurer but will also report it to the Police.

Then offer her the alternative of settling for the cost repairs to her rear bumper, based on a quote from two main dealers, which you can verify. If she chooses the insurance/Police option I would be very suprised. Let us know what happens.