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Hello,
Today I have received the following letter from a law firm asking me, rather than my car insurance, to pay for damages for a car accident which happened a couple of years back:
“We are instructed by [name of client] to claim for damages in connection with a road traffic accident which occurred on [early] 2019.
As a result of your negligence, [the client] suffered loss and damage, and required a replacement vehicle whilst their own was off the road.
We confirm that the following damages are outstanding:
Hire Charges [£6k+]
We would very much like to settle this matter without the need for legal proceedings.
You should reply within 14 days, the reply should include confirmation as to whether the claim is accepted and, if it is not accepted, the reasons why, together with an explanation as to which facts and parts of the claim are disputed and whether you are making a counterclaim as well as providing details of any counterclaim.
Please therefore ensure that you discuss this letter with your insurer [Name of Insurer] for you or your insurer to send payment to our registered offices. Please ensure that a cheque for the above sum is made payable to [Name of a limited company follows, which appears to be the vehicle hire firm].
Please accept this letter as notice under Section 151 and 152 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as our intension [sic] to issue legal proceedings.
If you were not the driver at the time of the accident, please contact us to confirm the name and address of the driver of your vehicle who was involved in the accident.
Etc. etc."
This letter came out of the blue, as everything around that accident had been dealt with promptly back then: we exchanged insurance details; we took photos; I sent the photos to my insurer (as requested) and provided them with everything they needed, by phone and by email (and I still have all the emails), including the other person’s insurance details. My car had to be scrapped and I got the money back from my insurer, minus the excess.
I also assume, but do not know for sure, that my insurer paid for the damages to fix or replace the car of the other party, otherwise this legal letter would have mentioned them too.
I’ve now scanned the letter and forwarded it to my old insurer, together with copies of all the emails and details from that old claim (reference number, photos, etc). I’ve asked them to let me know why that claim was not paid, and asked them what they intend to do about it.
Does anybody have any advice as to what else I should do?
Many thanks in advance.
Today I have received the following letter from a law firm asking me, rather than my car insurance, to pay for damages for a car accident which happened a couple of years back:
“We are instructed by [name of client] to claim for damages in connection with a road traffic accident which occurred on [early] 2019.
As a result of your negligence, [the client] suffered loss and damage, and required a replacement vehicle whilst their own was off the road.
We confirm that the following damages are outstanding:
Hire Charges [£6k+]
We would very much like to settle this matter without the need for legal proceedings.
You should reply within 14 days, the reply should include confirmation as to whether the claim is accepted and, if it is not accepted, the reasons why, together with an explanation as to which facts and parts of the claim are disputed and whether you are making a counterclaim as well as providing details of any counterclaim.
Please therefore ensure that you discuss this letter with your insurer [Name of Insurer] for you or your insurer to send payment to our registered offices. Please ensure that a cheque for the above sum is made payable to [Name of a limited company follows, which appears to be the vehicle hire firm].
Please accept this letter as notice under Section 151 and 152 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as our intension [sic] to issue legal proceedings.
If you were not the driver at the time of the accident, please contact us to confirm the name and address of the driver of your vehicle who was involved in the accident.
Etc. etc."
This letter came out of the blue, as everything around that accident had been dealt with promptly back then: we exchanged insurance details; we took photos; I sent the photos to my insurer (as requested) and provided them with everything they needed, by phone and by email (and I still have all the emails), including the other person’s insurance details. My car had to be scrapped and I got the money back from my insurer, minus the excess.
I also assume, but do not know for sure, that my insurer paid for the damages to fix or replace the car of the other party, otherwise this legal letter would have mentioned them too.
I’ve now scanned the letter and forwarded it to my old insurer, together with copies of all the emails and details from that old claim (reference number, photos, etc). I’ve asked them to let me know why that claim was not paid, and asked them what they intend to do about it.
Does anybody have any advice as to what else I should do?
Many thanks in advance.
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