Do I need to tell my insurance company

[Andy_J_G]

This weekend I just caught the rear bumper of someones car and although there is no damage to my car she insists that "loads of paint has been scraped off the bottom of the bumper". She then goes on to say that she is a 1st year trainee barrister, and that all accidents need to be reported to you insurance company. I offered to sort it out, but she wont have it and insists on going through the insurance, so i gave her my details. However, as I am not making a claim, there was no damage to my car, do I need to tell my insurance company?

[Codswallop]

Yes, because if she is insistant on being difficult and reports it to her insurance, and gives them them your details too, then your insurer would not be happy you did not report the accident to them too. Hope you can talk sense into the trainee though

[Matt UK]

Given her attitude and determination to go through insurnace, yes I would call them.

[LeeMad]

is she letting you sort it out but still informing her insurer? if she rings them up and says "ive had an accident but the other party is paying so you dont need to do anything" they'll probably log it so they can charge her more come renewal but leave it at that rather than waste time writing a letter to your insurer.

[WeirdNeville]

She sounds weary.
Report it to your own insurers to cover yourself. We have insurance to protect ourself from litiginous bints like that.

A newly qualified lawyer is a scary thing indeed. Before you know it you'll be paying for her law course...

[Andy_J_G]

LeeMad said:

is she letting you sort it out but still informing her insurer? if she rings them up and says "ive had an accident but the other party is paying so you dont need to do anything" they'll probably log it so they can charge her more come renewal but leave it at that rather than waste time writing a letter to your insurer.

No she does not want me to sort it out, so its just through the insurance company, she seems to think she will be "defrocked" if you sort out out without the insurance company knowing - I am sure thats not illegal as know one was injured so why the insurance have to be involved I don't know. But she wants to appear whiter than white so that she does not jeopardise her job. Whats odd though is I knew of one of the passengers in the car and she has been arrested several times by the police and is a known drug user, last year her father had to go to Amsterdam to pick her up from the Dutch police! Maybe she should choose her friends more wisely?

[Panayiotis]

A first year trainee barrister is good at filing and filling up her bosses wine glass with some more red....what a little brat.

To answer your question though, in the case she starts spouting unqualified verbal diarrhoea, let your insurers know about her beforehand.

[WeirdNeville]

Is this person known to you?
You bump into the back of "Someones" car and they happen to have someone else on board about whom you know details of their criminal past?

[Andy_J_G]

WeirdNeville said:

Is this person known to you?
You bump into the back of "Someones" car and they happen to have someone else on board about whom you know details of their criminal past?

No I do not know her, my son who was with me, recognised one of the passengers.

[R11ysf]

Panayiotis said:

A first year trainee barrister is good at filing and filling up her bosses wine glass with some more red....what a little brat.

To answer your question though, in the case she starts spouting unqualified verbal diarrhoea, let your insurers know about her beforehand.

Interesting unprovoked diatribe. You know much about the legal game do you?

[sticks090460]

Yes you should. Make it clear it's for information only and you're not making a claim. That saves you the issue of it being deemed a material fact you didn't disclose when you come to make a genuine claim and have it turned down and your policy cancelled.
As with everything insurance, it's safer to disclose more than necessary.

[M5 Russ]

Always inform the insurance in this situation but as a previous poster said, make it clear it's for information only. That way you are covered no matter what the other party say.

[johnpeat]

Yes

[johnpeat]

p.s. surely "1st year trainee" just means "not a" in this case?

[monthefish]

Yes.

And as ridiculous as it sounds, strictly speaking you should report every stone chip and every mark on your vehicle to the insurers.

[CampDavid]

R11ysf said:

Panayiotis said:

A first year trainee barrister is good at filing and filling up her bosses wine glass with some more red....what a little brat.

To answer your question though, in the case she starts spouting unqualified verbal diarrhoea, let your insurers know about her beforehand.

Interesting unprovoked diatribe. You know much about the legal game do you?

Indeed, they also have to print documents, do general admin stuff and a lot of proof reading.

[R11ysf]

johnpeat said:

p.s. surely "1st year trainee" just means "not a" in this case?

1st year trainee could mean anything from 1st year law degree (unlikely) to 1st year pupillage (passed law degree and then completed Bar Vocational Course and then attained pupillage - more likely) in which case she will be far from an unqualified numpty who does filing and coffee runs.

She could just be in an unfamiliar situation she has never been in before and wants to keep whiter than white.

These threads pop up all the time and it is so annoying to see the two contrasting opinions depending on if it is a PHer who has been hit or done the hitting. If a PHer has been hit then they should accept nothing less than main dealer repair through insurance and if it is a PHer who did the hitting then the other party is a (fill in expletive here) for not letting it get fixed through a reputable garage the PHer knows.

If it was me I'd get a couple of quotes and let them pay outside of insurance, but you can't blame the other person for being weary. They don't know who you are and after all YOU hit THEIR car - why shouldn't they go through insurance if they don't know better?

[wildcat45]

Ask a few questions about her passenger. You know, aren't they a druggie etc etc. Were they a client? Or a friend?

Thought you wanted to be whiter than white hanging round with people like that won't do you any good. Now, here's the money for the car - take it and walk away.