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Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

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  • Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

    Hi all,
    I'm after a bit of advice if possible. In brief, my husband was driving my car and had a collision with a pedal cyclist. Fortunately the cyclist was not hurt. The collision was not my husbands fault as the cyclist had jumped a red light and ended up causing nearly £900 worth of damage to my car as well as the distress my husband suffered and the inconvenience caused to myself. The police were called and in the presence of the 2 officers, the 17 year old admitted fault and it was agreed that he would pay for the damage caused. The officers let him off from his offences, namely jumping a red light & having no lights on his bike(it was gone 9pm and it was turning dark), as he had agreed to pay the cost of the damage. I went round to the cyclists house the next day to check he was ok and to show his parents the extent of the damage and they agreed also that he would pay for the damage, they were very apologetic and saying how cross they were at him. I said we would get some quotes and suggested they do the same and we would go for the cheapest quote. They said how reasonable I was being and thanked me. A few days later, i told them I had a few quotes and asked if they had managed to get any. There reply, in a nutshell, was that the young man was not at fault, that my husband was speeding (we live less than 50 yards from the set of traffic lights where the collision occurred, the lights were on red as my husband approached them and changed to green as he drew up to them.....there was no way he was speeding) and he would only pay half of the cost of the repairs at a rate of £10.00 per month. I have been back in touch with the police station who dealt with the incident to see if there is anything further they can do regarding his offenses but I am still awaiting a phone call from either of the officers that attended.

    As the cyclist would have no insurance, the insurance company have put this down as a fault accident, even though it wasn't, as they cannot claim the monies back from him. This means that my insurance will now be loaded at renewal due to a fault claim on file.

    My question is this.....can I take a 17 year old/his parents to the small claims court to recover the monies for the repairs to pay back to the insurance company and for compensation for financial loss, inconvenience and increased insurance premiums over the next 5 years which, I have been informed, will be an increase of 20-40%?

    Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

    Jenniewren
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

    Originally posted by Jennie wren View Post
    Hi all,
    I'm after a bit of advice if possible. In brief, my husband was driving my car and had a collision with a pedal cyclist. Fortunately the cyclist was not hurt. The collision was not my husbands fault as the cyclist had jumped a red light and ended up causing nearly £900 worth of damage to my car as well as the distress my husband suffered and the inconvenience caused to myself. The police were called and in the presence of the 2 officers, the 17 year old admitted fault and it was agreed that he would pay for the damage caused. The officers let him off from his offences, namely jumping a red light & having no lights on his bike(it was gone 9pm and it was turning dark), as he had agreed to pay the cost of the damage. I went round to the cyclists house the next day to check he was ok and to show his parents the extent of the damage and they agreed also that he would pay for the damage, they were very apologetic and saying how cross they were at him. I said we would get some quotes and suggested they do the same and we would go for the cheapest quote. They said how reasonable I was being and thanked me. A few days later, i told them I had a few quotes and asked if they had managed to get any. There reply, in a nutshell, was that the young man was not at fault, that my husband was speeding (we live less than 50 yards from the set of traffic lights where the collision occurred, the lights were on red as my husband approached them and changed to green as he drew up to them.....there was no way he was speeding) and he would only pay half of the cost of the repairs at a rate of £10.00 per month. I have been back in touch with the police station who dealt with the incident to see if there is anything further they can do regarding his offenses but I am still awaiting a phone call from either of the officers that attended.

    As the cyclist would have no insurance, the insurance company have put this down as a fault accident, even though it wasn't, as they cannot claim the monies back from him. This means that my insurance will now be loaded at renewal due to a fault claim on file.

    My question is this.....can I take a 17 year old/his parents to the small claims court to recover the monies for the repairs to pay back to the insurance company and for compensation for financial loss, inconvenience and increased insurance premiums over the next 5 years which, I have been informed, will be an increase of 20-40%?

    Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

    Jenniewren
    Firstly, your motor insurers need a good hard kick up the backside. They are acting unfairly and they also need to explain, fully, how it is a "fault" claim when there is clear evidence that the cyclist jumped a red light, thereby leaving your husband with no opportunity to avoid a collision and this was compounded by the fact that the cyclist was not displaying obligatory lights on his cycle. Their explanation, or excuse as I would view it, just shows how damn lazy some insurers can be. Get back to your insurers and ask them what legislation they are relying on. One tactic they try is quoting Butterworth's Insurance Law. This is a legal reference book that contains court rulings in respect of insurance claims cases. One motor insurer tried this with me some years ago. What the claims technician did not know is that I had a copy of said legal reference book in front of me and I caught him out. The claim was settled in full and the claims technician was signing on for Jobseeker's Allowance the following day. Most public reference libraries hold at least one copy of Butterworth's Insurance Law. If you live near a university which allows public access to its library, see if they have a copy you can check any statements your insurers make.

    Secondly, as far as I am aware, you can recover the cost of repairs to your car from the cyclist and his parents, as he was at fault. However, I would strongly advise you to check the current legal position with a legal professional. You have done your best to mitigate your losses as required by Civil Litigation Law. However, this has been "hijacked" by your motor insurer's reluctance/laziness to pursue the cyclist.

    Once you have spoken to the police again - the Collisions Unit is the best department to speak to - speak to a legal professional before going back to your motor insurers.
    Life is a journey on which we all travel, sometimes together, but never alone.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

      Thank you Bluebottle. This is a very helpful piece of advice and I shall follow this up tomorrow. I have told them that I will be looking into this as i see it as unfair to make a fault claim out of a non fault. I will update on the progress. Thanks again

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

        It is important that you speak to a legal professional before going back to your insurers. By doing this, you are forewarned and forearmed. Insurance claims handlers/technicians do not like it when policyholders catch them out or stand up to their bullying or, in some cases, downright lies.
        Life is a journey on which we all travel, sometimes together, but never alone.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

          When you say legal professional, will I need to consult a solicitor or will the Financial Ombudsman Services give me any advice?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

            Because of the nature of the incident, you need to speak to a solicitor. If you have a Law Centre or Community Legal Service office in your locality, they may be able to provide you with free or very low-cost legal advice. The FOS is the very last resort if the insurers continue to be intransigent.
            Life is a journey on which we all travel, sometimes together, but never alone.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

              Thank you for that. I'll get onto it first thing

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

                Agree entirely with Bluebottle's advice that you consult a solicitor. It will be a small claims court case given the amounts you are claiming, but there are legal rules you have to follow when claiming against a minor. A little legal advice at the start will point you in the right direction. Ask the receptionist if the firm offers a free initial consultation - many do.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

                  Thank you Nikolai. I have sought advice. When taking a child or young person to court, the person taking action should name the child or young person as the defendant and a parent or guardian who can act as their litigation friend. The age of the child or young person will be taken into account when deciding whether their behaviour was negligent. I have issued my pre-action letter to the young man in question and am awaiting a response. I have given him a timescale of 14 days to respond before taking action without further consultation with him.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

                    Originally posted by Jennie wren View Post
                    Thank you Nikolai. I have sought advice. When taking a child or young person to court, the person taking action should name the child or young person as the defendant and a parent or guardian who can act as their litigation friend. The age of the child or young person will be taken into account when deciding whether their behaviour was negligent. I have issued my pre-action letter to the young man in question and am awaiting a response. I have given him a timescale of 14 days to respond before taking action without further consultation with him.
                    As well as being given excellent advice by a legal professional, you have shared it with us on this thread. Thank you, Jenny Wren. Let us know how things go, please.
                    Life is a journey on which we all travel, sometimes together, but never alone.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Car accident with a pushbike, small claims court?

                      Your welcome Bluebottle & thank you. I will keep you posted

                      Comment

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