get your rocks off!
Discussion
going home last night in the storm that we had i hit a foot square bit of dry stone wall that had fallen from someones garden wall.
i only gave it a glancing blow (was in a 30mph limit) and caused no panel damage but managed to smash the alloy wheel and rip a slash in the tyre.
i pulled over and in the dark and pi$$ing rain swopped the wheel, went back down the road and dragged this huge rock to the side of the road.
i drove home thinking that the tracking was out, but have discovered this morning thats its far worse.
it looks as if the bottom arm is bent, and maybe the rack as well.
is it worth me ringing the local coppers to complain, i cant see me having a leg to stand on if i complain to the house holder - after all i cant prove that it was 'their' rock that i hit.
im a bit miffed as its gonna cost me a few hundered quid to fix
i only gave it a glancing blow (was in a 30mph limit) and caused no panel damage but managed to smash the alloy wheel and rip a slash in the tyre.
i pulled over and in the dark and pi$$ing rain swopped the wheel, went back down the road and dragged this huge rock to the side of the road.
i drove home thinking that the tracking was out, but have discovered this morning thats its far worse.
it looks as if the bottom arm is bent, and maybe the rack as well.
is it worth me ringing the local coppers to complain, i cant see me having a leg to stand on if i complain to the house holder - after all i cant prove that it was 'their' rock that i hit.
im a bit miffed as its gonna cost me a few hundered quid to fix
guru_1071 said:
streetcop
you have the same opinion as me!
i just wanted a bit of sympathy!!
:-)
Good job I said I was sorry to hear of your trouble and that I was glad you're ok then....
Stuff like that is crap...
It's like having an unrepairable puncture in a new tyre or even more worrying; hitting some debris on the motorway and it damaging your car's bodywork...
Streetcop said:Many would agree with you Gary, compensation culture will be bad for society. However, that wall can't be allowed to continue causing a hazard on the road, so something has to be done! What if this rock fell under the wheels so causing steering failure, resulting with the car mounting a pavement with pedestrians? Would you have the same attitude?
"Where there's blame, there's a claim"
No there isn't...
It's an act of nature. It happens. Sorry for your damage to your car...at least you are ok yourself.
Lets not get like the Americans and be any more compensation mad than we are already..
supraman2954 said:
Many would agree with you Gary, compensation culture will be bad for society. However, that wall can't be allowed to continue causing a hazard on the road, so something has to be done! What if this rock fell under the wheels so causing steering failure, resulting with the car mounting a pavement with pedestrians? Would you have the same attitude?
Absolutely....
Like when trees fall down and hit cars....nature is nature....
Just like if you're tyre has a blow out and you mount the pavement. Freak incident. Nobody to blame but Sod's Law.
What's the insurance position with something like this. I would have thought if a tree fell on your car it would be down to the (tree) owners household insurance or is it your car insurance (assuming you're fully comp.). Would the owner of the wall not have some sort of third party cover for something like this?
Would a sensible approach to be to speak/drop a line to the owner of the wall and suggest, in a neighbourly sort of way, (if the wall is generally in poor state) that it may benefit them to remedy the situation before a more serious accident occurs. If you explain how you found out about it they may be minded to contribute to your repair costs.
A softly softly approach may bear fruit rather than any hint of confrontation.
Edited to say: For the record I loathe compensation culture but do believe that people should take responsibility for their own actions or inactions.
>> Edited by rustybin on Thursday 10th February 14:26
Would a sensible approach to be to speak/drop a line to the owner of the wall and suggest, in a neighbourly sort of way, (if the wall is generally in poor state) that it may benefit them to remedy the situation before a more serious accident occurs. If you explain how you found out about it they may be minded to contribute to your repair costs.
A softly softly approach may bear fruit rather than any hint of confrontation.
Edited to say: For the record I loathe compensation culture but do believe that people should take responsibility for their own actions or inactions.
>> Edited by rustybin on Thursday 10th February 14:26
Streetcop said:Hazards caused by nature is not the same as hazards caused my man.
Many would agree with you Gary, compensation culture will be bad for society. However, that wall can't be allowed to continue causing a hazard on the road, so something has to be done! What if this rock fell under the wheels so causing steering failure, resulting with the car mounting a pavement with pedestrians? Would you have the same attitude?
Absolutely....
Like when trees fall down and hit cars....nature is nature....
Just like if you're tyre has a blow out and you mount the pavement. Freak incident. Nobody to blame but Sod's Law.
Tree falling over; who could have seen that coming? (AKA act of God)
Wall falling over; owner is responsible for its maintenance; especially if it’s known that it’s already falling apart.
The difference here is that the problem is easily preventable.
Using the tyre blow out analogy, would you still consider it to be a freak occurrence if it could be proven that the tyre had worn so much that the steel threads were showing?
I believe this is an absolute offence
just picked my car up from the garage.
105 quid for a track rod end and a new bottom arm
40 quid to fix it and do the tracking.
i still need a wheel and tyre.
i think im gonna throw the t/r/e and the bottom arm into the garden of the house with the dodgy wall, it should give the owners a reason to moan in about six months when they run over them with their lawnmower!!
still, ive got my car back!
105 quid for a track rod end and a new bottom arm
40 quid to fix it and do the tracking.
i still need a wheel and tyre.
i think im gonna throw the t/r/e and the bottom arm into the garden of the house with the dodgy wall, it should give the owners a reason to moan in about six months when they run over them with their lawnmower!!
still, ive got my car back!
I agree with the comments re the condition of teh wall. I think the principle is foreseability. basically if the wall is in a poor state is it forseable that a piece could fall off etc. If the answer is yes then id do some digging and serve teh house owner with a lawyers letter. At least find out if you can ID the wall, the owner and talk to your lawyers. It would pi55 me off.
As an aside a friend drove over a rock on the Mway dropped by some lorrey.It took out the sump
As an aside a friend drove over a rock on the Mway dropped by some lorrey.It took out the sump
Streetcop said:
Just like if you're tyre has a blow out and you mount the pavement. Freak incident. Nobody to blame but Sod's Law.
What if the tire was poorly maintained? Old/Bald/under or over inflated?
If the wall was poorly maintained and a gust of wind blew a bit in the road, surely the owner should take some responsibility?
You'd prob have to hire somebody liking a building surveyor to prove it I'd guess. It's likely to be more than one brick breaking off so the owner will probably have been away of the hazard, I'd personally take it further, you never know what damage the next fallen block will cause somebody.
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