Accident management for multi car pile up
Accident management for multi car pile up
Author
Discussion

mpit

Original Poster:

374 posts

200 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
The OH was involved in a multi-car pileup on the motorway yesterday.

Car in front slammed his brakes on to a complete stop. She stopped in time, but the 3 cars behind did not.

She was pushed into the car in front but he was unphased, claimed he had no damage and left without exchanging details.

Given the potential for complications in establishing liability where multiple cars are involved, I’m concerned about insurance companies deciding equal liability and having to pay up excess etc.

Car is almost certainly written off and both my OH and daughter are pretty sore afterwards.

Before I call an AMC on Monday morning, does anyone have any experience of situations like this?

alscar

9,975 posts

243 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
The OH was involved in a multi-car pileup on the motorway yesterday.

Car in front slammed his brakes on to a complete stop. She stopped in time, but the 3 cars behind did not.

She was pushed into the car in front but he was unphased, claimed he had no damage and left without exchanging details.

Given the potential for complications in establishing liability where multiple cars are involved, I’m concerned about insurance companies deciding equal liability and having to pay up excess etc.

Car is almost certainly written off and both my OH and daughter are pretty sore afterwards.

Before I call an AMC on Monday morning, does anyone have any experience of situations like this?
Firstly hope your OH and daughter are ok.
Secondly you might want to move this to SP&L.
But I would be getting in touch with my own Insurers now and let them do their job and hopefully resolve it all for you. That’s why you bought the policy.

Vasco

18,009 posts

135 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
He left without exchanging details......?

I wonder why.

kiethton

14,656 posts

210 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
Vasco said:
He left without exchanging details......?

I wonder why.
If his car wasn't damaged I'd likely do the same and save me being linked and my insurance going up for a non-fault, no damage claim...

Slow

6,973 posts

167 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
Vasco said:
He left without exchanging details......?

I wonder why.
Ive been in a crash where we didnt exchange details, I didnt care about my car as it was worth fk all and they didnt care because they didnt want an insurance claim on their record.

We both just got out, had a look and drove our seperate ways.

DanL

6,587 posts

295 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
alscar said:
mpit said:
The OH was involved in a multi-car pileup on the motorway yesterday.

Car in front slammed his brakes on to a complete stop. She stopped in time, but the 3 cars behind did not.

She was pushed into the car in front but he was unphased, claimed he had no damage and left without exchanging details.

Given the potential for complications in establishing liability where multiple cars are involved, I’m concerned about insurance companies deciding equal liability and having to pay up excess etc.

Car is almost certainly written off and both my OH and daughter are pretty sore afterwards.

Before I call an AMC on Monday morning, does anyone have any experience of situations like this?
Firstly hope your OH and daughter are ok.
Secondly you might want to move this to SP&L.
But I would be getting in touch with my own Insurers now and let them do their job and hopefully resolve it all for you. That’s why you bought the policy.
This. Odds are they may well have their own management company to sort things for you too, which might simplify the claim…

TwigtheWonderkid

49,158 posts

180 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
The OH was involved in a multi-car pileup on the motorway yesterday.

Car in front slammed his brakes on to a complete stop. She stopped in time, but the 3 cars behind did not.

She was pushed into the car in front
Did your OH feel one impact or two? If one, then I doubt the car who hit her is to blame, as they were probably pushed into your OH by the car behind them. If your OH felt 2 impacts, then she was hit in the rear by the car behind, who was then hit by the car behind them. Either way, let your insurers sort it. establishing liability of the responsible car behind her may be tricky, but your OH definitely isn't liable and will not be held to be.

Vasco

18,009 posts

135 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
kiethton said:
Vasco said:
He left without exchanging details......?

I wonder why.
If his car wasn't damaged I'd likely do the same and save me being linked and my insurance going up for a non-fault, no damage claim...
So, presumably, nobody knows who he is and, if any personal injuries are noticed in coming days, he won't have to explain his sudden actions.....?

Condi

20,450 posts

201 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
kiethton said:
If his car wasn't damaged I'd likely do the same and save me being linked and my insurance going up for a non-fault, no damage claim...
Depends why he stopped, presumably? It's against the highway code to stop in an active lane on the motorway unless in an emergency, so some fault could still lie with the driver in front.

Unreal

10,880 posts

55 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
Just phone your insurance company and let them handle it.

And do it today.

Noyzboy

114 posts

248 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
Your OH was hit from the rear. Don't get involved with giving an opinion as to who behind was to blame for the accident.
The cause of your OH's damage was the guy directly behind her who hit her from the rear.
Stick to that. Keep it simple.

TwigtheWonderkid

49,158 posts

180 months

Saturday 1st April 2023
quotequote all
Noyzboy said:
Your OH was hit from the rear. Don't get involved with giving an opinion as to who behind was to blame for the accident.
The cause of your OH's damage was the guy directly behind her who hit her from the rear.
Stick to that. Keep it simple.
But if the driver behind stopped in time, and was hit in the rear and pushed into OP's partner, then they aren't negligent and you can't claim from them. Just as the OP's partner wasn't responsible for being pushed into the car in front of her. The claim needs to be directed back up the chain of cars involved.

Insurance will sort it all out.

mpit

Original Poster:

374 posts

200 months

Friday 14th April 2023
quotequote all
Advising to let the insurance company deal with it is absolutely terrible advice.

They have no idea where they recovered the car to, wrote the car off without seeing it and two weeks later have still not paid out or arranged a hire car because it's a total loss.

I've always used an accident management company in the past and it has always been a beautiful, service driven experience.


TwigtheWonderkid

49,158 posts

180 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
Advising to let the insurance company deal with it is absolutely terrible advice.

They have no idea where they recovered the car to, wrote the car off without seeing it and two weeks later have still not paid out or arranged a hire car because it's a total loss.

I've always used an accident management company in the past and it has always been a beautiful, service driven experience.
No, it's good advice, you just have a terrible insurance company.

Driver101

14,451 posts

151 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
Advising to let the insurance company deal with it is absolutely terrible advice.

They have no idea where they recovered the car to, wrote the car off without seeing it and two weeks later have still not paid out or arranged a hire car because it's a total loss.

I've always used an accident management company in the past and it has always been a beautiful, service driven experience.
How many accidents have you been involved in?

Accident management companies have extortionate and unnecessary fees. They just drive up the cost of claims and policies.

mpit

Original Poster:

374 posts

200 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
Driver101 said:
How many accidents have you been involved in?

Accident management companies have extortionate and unnecessary fees. They just drive up the cost of claims and policies.
This is the fourth. All the others were while stationary, which must make me fairly unlucky.

From what I’ve seen, the most unreasonable cost is that of body shops. Hire cars used to be ridiculous but are capped these days.

Frankly, if accident management costs are necessary to minimise disruption for non-fault drivers then so be it. Fortunately insurance companies seem reasonably good at attributing risk.

All insurance companies use accident management companies when liability is clear cut anyway. It’s not like you’re saving everyone’s premiums by going to your insurer.

On the plus side, my insurer have now offered a pretty decent settlement for my car. I just need to hope I can get the excess back.

mpit

Original Poster:

374 posts

200 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
No, it's good advice, you just have a terrible insurance company.
Who would you recommend and can you share your experience with them dealing with a non-fault claim?

TwigtheWonderkid

49,158 posts

180 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
No, it's good advice, you just have a terrible insurance company.
Who would you recommend and can you share your experience with them dealing with a non-fault claim?
They are all good and bad at various times. Someone can get great service whilst someone else can get terrible service from the same company.

By and large, the bigger established companies, Aviva, Zurich, and the like, will provide better service more often than Cheapquote Insurance, Bargain Discount Insurance company, etc. But they can all be brilliant and rubbish, often on the same day!

pork911

7,365 posts

213 months

Saturday 15th April 2023
quotequote all
mpit said:
Advising to let the insurance company deal with it is absolutely terrible advice.

They have no idea where they recovered the car to, wrote the car off without seeing it and two weeks later have still not paid out or arranged a hire car because it's a total loss.

I've always used an accident management company in the past and it has always been a beautiful, service driven experience.
Credit hire car?

If so...
Were you impecunious?

Were you offered any side promises that you weren't really on the hook for the credit hire charges they were going to present to the third party?

Did you understand or care what you were supporting?