Insurance Nightmare
Discussion
Sorry for the long post but could really do with some sadvice.
Yesterday I was in the traffic queue stationary.
I heard an enormous noise..looked into my rear view mirror and my back windscreen was shattered. I switched the engine off and got out the car.... at the rear glass all over the road. Then I was horrified to see a lad and bike lying at the side of the road about 6 ft behind my car. I was totally shocked I though my god have I hit him and a chap ran out of the car behind mine and said don't worry he hit you..its not your fault I saw it all..
A lad on a bicycle was coming up the hill and wobbling all over the place ... the driver behind was forced into the middle of the road .. he beeped his horn .. the cyclist looked at him and crashed into the back of my car.
I called the police and ambulance have always been told never take chances so get experts in..
The poor chap in the car behind was mortified he has beeped his horn ..but the erratic riding and forcing him into the oncoming traffic had panicked him..
So you may say well could have been worse and yes it could have the lad had a quality helmet on with protected his head.. he broke a tooth, cut lip, and few bumps and bruises. Hopefully, a valuable lesson learned.
It has got worse for me.. I reported the damage to my car to the insurance company.. they took the details I paid the excess ( which the young lads father has offered to reimburse). Today I find out that my car windscreen is on 4 months back order with Mercedes Benz. My insurers are refusing to provide a courtesy car and say its only windscreen damage... I & our brokers have complained all day.. I have advised then we cannot be sure it is only windscreen damage.. at 66 and in shock, I am not a car expert. You would think as part of their customer service an assessor would have a look at it..
Currently, i am faced with having to drive a car for 4 months without a back windscreen or hire one myself... any thoughts or suggestions please.
Yesterday I was in the traffic queue stationary.
I heard an enormous noise..looked into my rear view mirror and my back windscreen was shattered. I switched the engine off and got out the car.... at the rear glass all over the road. Then I was horrified to see a lad and bike lying at the side of the road about 6 ft behind my car. I was totally shocked I though my god have I hit him and a chap ran out of the car behind mine and said don't worry he hit you..its not your fault I saw it all..
A lad on a bicycle was coming up the hill and wobbling all over the place ... the driver behind was forced into the middle of the road .. he beeped his horn .. the cyclist looked at him and crashed into the back of my car.
I called the police and ambulance have always been told never take chances so get experts in..
The poor chap in the car behind was mortified he has beeped his horn ..but the erratic riding and forcing him into the oncoming traffic had panicked him..
So you may say well could have been worse and yes it could have the lad had a quality helmet on with protected his head.. he broke a tooth, cut lip, and few bumps and bruises. Hopefully, a valuable lesson learned.
It has got worse for me.. I reported the damage to my car to the insurance company.. they took the details I paid the excess ( which the young lads father has offered to reimburse). Today I find out that my car windscreen is on 4 months back order with Mercedes Benz. My insurers are refusing to provide a courtesy car and say its only windscreen damage... I & our brokers have complained all day.. I have advised then we cannot be sure it is only windscreen damage.. at 66 and in shock, I am not a car expert. You would think as part of their customer service an assessor would have a look at it..
Currently, i am faced with having to drive a car for 4 months without a back windscreen or hire one myself... any thoughts or suggestions please.
This is a sad tale, a real mess. reinforces the idea that cyclists should have a form of Liability insurance.
My advice would be to seek legal advice, if the lad was living at home it is possible that his parents household insurance includes liability coverage and that this may extend to the boy and his cycling.
My advice would be to seek legal advice, if the lad was living at home it is possible that his parents household insurance includes liability coverage and that this may extend to the boy and his cycling.
Lemming Train said:
Shaw Tarse said:
mr_spock said:
Contact an independent assessor. I can't recall the name, but there was a great PH member who did that - anyone?
Glassman ?
Zarco said:
I'm impressed the cyclist had enough momentum up hill to do so much damage.
Yes, that and the fact that the guy who was behind him cut him up and then blasted his horn.This doesnt sound right - I dont mean from the OP I mean from the guy behind.
If the bike was in slow weaving mode I dont really see how he carried so much force through the window.
Robbo 27 said:
This is a sad tale, a real mess. reinforces the idea that cyclists should have a form of Liability insurance.
My advice would be to seek legal advice, if the lad was living at home it is possible that his parents household insurance includes liability coverage and that this may extend to the boy and his cycling.
Thank you it is a sad tale and I agree, Cyclists should have liability. His father has offered to pay my excess and the Insurance company are treating as a windscreen claim. Call me stupid but I wanted to be fair to the lad, we all make mistakes in life and I felt that was the best way to do it. I might have been wrong.My advice would be to seek legal advice, if the lad was living at home it is possible that his parents household insurance includes liability coverage and that this may extend to the boy and his cycling.
Sheepshanks said:
I too wonder if there might be confusion over "windscreen"? You wrote it multiple times - I think of it as the rear window.
Do you have courtesy car cover on your policy?
yes have a courtesy car on my policy, protected no claims, but the insurance company is saying does not apply to glass claims. Do you have courtesy car cover on your policy?
Rozzers said:
Yes, that and the fact that the guy who was behind him cut him up and then blasted his horn.
This doesnt sound right - I dont mean from the OP I mean from the guy behind.
If the bike was in slow weaving mode I dont really see how he carried so much force through the window.
This doesnt sound right - I dont mean from the OP I mean from the guy behind.
If the bike was in slow weaving mode I dont really see how he carried so much force through the window.
Is that enough force for you !!
JimSuperSix said:
Maybe contact glass repair specialists yourself to see if they have the screen in stock?
The insurance company contacted Autowindscreens, when they came back and said 4 months, I contacted Mercedes and they confirmed. Then my broker contacted the insurance company and several glass manufacturers. None had the glass. Pilkington offered to make one but the problem is the windscreen has GPS and Antenna technology as well as heated.. someone from Nationwide Windscreens has contacted today and said they have one... but am a bit worried as this did not come up in original searches and I hope they are not trying to pass off non-OEM part.
I am told the part number is MA246 740 4500
I had a rear windscreen replaced on my C200 estate after I stupidly shut the boot on a metal object left too far back in the boot.
Tw&t myself I thought.
Again, 6 months via Merc.
Got non OEM glass via windscreen repairs on insurance.
Fine. Did seem to defrost slower though.
Forgot about it until lease end, when I got picked up that the glass didn't have the vehicle reg on. Apparently the non OEM glass would have meant that some models of Sat Nag / phones wouldn't have aerials. However, the amount they wanted to sting me overall for the car, given a panel had a scratch to metal in and scuffed alloy was within my "bending over tax expectation at end of lease" so I just paid it.
Tw&t myself I thought.
Again, 6 months via Merc.
Got non OEM glass via windscreen repairs on insurance.
Fine. Did seem to defrost slower though.
Forgot about it until lease end, when I got picked up that the glass didn't have the vehicle reg on. Apparently the non OEM glass would have meant that some models of Sat Nag / phones wouldn't have aerials. However, the amount they wanted to sting me overall for the car, given a panel had a scratch to metal in and scuffed alloy was within my "bending over tax expectation at end of lease" so I just paid it.
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