should i tell the insurance company

[cuprasparkuk]

Hi all
To cut a long story short i had an accident at work 2 years ago my foot and leg were crushed by a forklift truck
I am claiming incapacity benefit, my foot does not move properly as it will not bend to 90 degrees ie flat, its bends about 80 degrees.
I get pain when standing for long periods and i walk with a limp.
I have just got a blue badge, know here's my question should i have to tell the insurance company the only thing is i have no problem driving and no problem pressing the clutch(it's my left leg by the way)
Will this put my premium up and i also notice that when i try to get an online car insurance quote there is no mention about disabled(blue badge) etc.
I hope some one can give me some advise thanks Mark

[PeteG]

Tell them everything. And make the DVLA aware too. Purely as arse-covering.

[Zod]

insurance is a contract of utmost good faith. That means that if you fail to tell them anything material that could be relevant to assessing their risk, your insurance is voidable.

[homerjay]

Zod said:

insurance is a contract of utmost good faith. That means that if you fail to tell them anything material that could be relevant to assessing their risk, your insurance is voidable.

ie dodgy foot came off clutch in standing traffic and you crushed a pedestrian between your car and the one in front?

[PeteG]

homerjay said:

Zod said:

insurance is a contract of utmost good faith. That means that if you fail to tell them anything material that could be relevant to assessing their risk, your insurance is voidable.

ie dodgy foot came off clutch in standing traffic and you crushed a pedestrian between your car and the one in front?

Or, moreso, involved in a damage-only collision, insurance assessor notices gammy foot, no payout, OP out of pocket.

[ZOLLAR]

PeteG said:

Tell them everything. And make the DVLA aware too. Purely as arse-covering.

it's worth noting that not all car insurance companies rate on medical disabilities, company i work for don't all we need is confirmation your doctor is happy for you to drive and the dvla are aware,then you are covered even if the injured foot is responsible for the accident

[Hitch78]

The answer to that question is almost always yes. Better to be upfront in your dealings as whilst you might think you're getting away with it through with lower premiums that counts for nothing if they won't pay up due to your non-declaration.

If your Doctor has not stopped you driving then I doubt you'll have any problems.

[MacG]

A hypothetical question...

Just suppose you fail to tell your insurer something that could be relevant to an insurance policy (for example the OP's non-perpendicular foot) and you merrily drive around for 10 years without an issue until one day you have a big smash and try to make a claim.

If the insurer insists that the policy is voidable because you failed to mention a relevant matter, would you be entitled to your premiums back for the previous 10 years? i.e. if the contract is voidable, it was always voidable, not just because you have an accident.

[ZOLLAR]

MacG said:

A hypothetical question...

Just suppose you fail to tell your insurer something that could be relevant to an insurance policy (for example the OP's non-perpendicular foot) and you merrily drive around for 10 years without an issue until one day you have a big smash and try to make a claim.

If the insurer insists that the policy is voidable because you failed to mention a relevant matter, would you be entitled to your premiums back for the previous 10 years? i.e. if the contract is voidable, it was always voidable, not just because you have an accident.

Generally there is a clause that says all premiums would be kept in the event of non disclosure (can vary per insurer though), any way that would be the least of your problems due to the fact that the insurer would likely take you to court to re claim the money its paid out for any third party costs.

[Deva Link]

MacG said:

..would you be entitled to your premiums back for the previous 10 years?

Not sure about that. Very difficult for the ins co to avoid paying out to 3rd parties anyway.

What there have been examples of, is the insurance company insisting you pay the extra premium.

[MacG]

Deva Link said:

MacG said:

..would you be entitled to your premiums back for the previous 10 years?

Not sure about that. Very difficult for the ins co to avoid paying out to 3rd parties anyway.

What there have been examples of, is the insurance company insisting you pay the extra premium.

Yes, I can see how it is complicated if the insurer still has to pay out to 3rd parties. But if they didn't and there was no specific clause then I guess it could be an interesting debate.

And payment of the additional premiums seems like a sensible approach, though I imagine not often applied otherwise everyone would take their chances if this was the worst outcome for them.

[cuprasparkuk]

Thanks for your help i will phone my insurance company and tell them, the one thing that gets me is the number of people who have the blue badge and who walk fine, there must be about 90% of these people that have not told there insurance company so this topic really does effect alot off people who could get caught out in the event off an accident.
Cheers