Will we get into trouble?
Discussion
A few months ago my secretary had a bad car smash.
She was sitting in her little Citroen at some traffic lights and another (female) driver forgot to stop and rammed her up the chuff at speed. The citroen was a write off and my secretary suffered severe whiplash injuries. Passers by assisted but the other driver drove off at speed. A full description of the driver, her car and the reg number were passed to the police togther with witness statements.
The police went to the registered address for the vehicle but the lady there denied all knowledge (we suspect it's her daughter thats the driver).
The police said they could do no more! We suggested driving by sometime at night to see if the car was parked there but they said they didn't have the manpower. (In fact they were quite rude about the suggestion) OK, we said, give us the address and we'll keep an eye on it to see if the driver/car turn up. No way said plod. (S'pose I can understand why)All they would say was that the address was close to where my secretary lives.
So Thats it then we thought.
Then this morning my secretary was late leaving for work, and coming out of her house she spots the other driver in her newly repaired car driving past her house! She followed her as long as possible before running out of petrol. We've told the Police but they are too busy eating donuts and making friends with local drug dealers to care.
I've suggested to my secretary that she should phone them back and say that since she now knows the other drivers route to work she will tomorrow be borrowing some large gentlemen from my office with the express intention of following the other driver to her place of work and retrieving appropriate recompense for the loss of no claims bonus, injury, distress etc etc.
Of course we have no actual intention of doing this, but I suspect that the threat might produce a panda car at the right time and place for the police to be able to act. (we all know how much plod loves to protect a criminal at the expense of the victim) The question is : Can we get into trouble for making that kind of threat, even if there is no intent to act upon it?
Any advice would be appreciated
Andy 400se
She was sitting in her little Citroen at some traffic lights and another (female) driver forgot to stop and rammed her up the chuff at speed. The citroen was a write off and my secretary suffered severe whiplash injuries. Passers by assisted but the other driver drove off at speed. A full description of the driver, her car and the reg number were passed to the police togther with witness statements.
The police went to the registered address for the vehicle but the lady there denied all knowledge (we suspect it's her daughter thats the driver).
The police said they could do no more! We suggested driving by sometime at night to see if the car was parked there but they said they didn't have the manpower. (In fact they were quite rude about the suggestion) OK, we said, give us the address and we'll keep an eye on it to see if the driver/car turn up. No way said plod. (S'pose I can understand why)All they would say was that the address was close to where my secretary lives.
So Thats it then we thought.
Then this morning my secretary was late leaving for work, and coming out of her house she spots the other driver in her newly repaired car driving past her house! She followed her as long as possible before running out of petrol. We've told the Police but they are too busy eating donuts and making friends with local drug dealers to care.
I've suggested to my secretary that she should phone them back and say that since she now knows the other drivers route to work she will tomorrow be borrowing some large gentlemen from my office with the express intention of following the other driver to her place of work and retrieving appropriate recompense for the loss of no claims bonus, injury, distress etc etc.
Of course we have no actual intention of doing this, but I suspect that the threat might produce a panda car at the right time and place for the police to be able to act. (we all know how much plod loves to protect a criminal at the expense of the victim) The question is : Can we get into trouble for making that kind of threat, even if there is no intent to act upon it?
Any advice would be appreciated
Andy 400se
I think you would get into trouble for that sort of thing..
Late last year, I saw soeone with a trailer hit the off-side front of my car (whilst it was stationary)... causing the best part of £800 damage. Jumped in, tried to flag him down - and got the middle finger. I lost him in traffic (not going to chase someone across town at rush hour). I phoned the police (did 192 to find the station number, rather than dial 999) gave them the exact descrption of the car, trailer, reg number... had to go and give a statemtent etc etc.
Four months later, I got contacted to say that the driver "couldn't remember that far back as he was a very busy man" - so they wouldn't do anything. Got the insurance company involved... just went from bad to worse, so ended up taking the hit in my wallet...
Late last year, I saw soeone with a trailer hit the off-side front of my car (whilst it was stationary)... causing the best part of £800 damage. Jumped in, tried to flag him down - and got the middle finger. I lost him in traffic (not going to chase someone across town at rush hour). I phoned the police (did 192 to find the station number, rather than dial 999) gave them the exact descrption of the car, trailer, reg number... had to go and give a statemtent etc etc.
Four months later, I got contacted to say that the driver "couldn't remember that far back as he was a very busy man" - so they wouldn't do anything. Got the insurance company involved... just went from bad to worse, so ended up taking the hit in my wallet...
If you can somehow find out where it was repaired and get a descrption of the repairs from the garage, it might help...
..how you do this I'm not certain though.. any new stickers on the car involved (or better still, new front numberplate with garage logo on the bottom?)..?? just a thought...
..either way I think the rozza's are being prats in this instance....
..what about a citizens arrest.. !!
..how you do this I'm not certain though.. any new stickers on the car involved (or better still, new front numberplate with garage logo on the bottom?)..?? just a thought...
..either way I think the rozza's are being prats in this instance....
..what about a citizens arrest.. !!
Someone said on another thread that if you write to the DVLA saying this car with this reg no. is parked on my property, they'll send you the owner's address so you can ask them to shift it.
This is also a bit like the story – I saw it here too – of the guy who got the police to come to get an intruder, when they’d said they wouldn’t, by saying he’d shot the intruder. Which he had done, with a water pistol. Don’t know what he got for that though.
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 30th May 10:45
This is also a bit like the story – I saw it here too – of the guy who got the police to come to get an intruder, when they’d said they wouldn’t, by saying he’d shot the intruder. Which he had done, with a water pistol. Don’t know what he got for that though.
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 30th May 10:45
I'd blame it on the morality of these scum bandits who seem to think you should pay for their incompetance.
I won't bore you with the whole story but basically a numbskull bint in a 4x4 (doing the school run) damaged my car outside my house. Her husband turns up that evening (they only live around the corner from me) and admits it's all her fault and says he'll pay (out of his pocket) to get it repaired. Well surprise surprise 2 days later I phone him with the repair quote and the retarded scroat has changed his mind, apparently it was all my fault she reversed (blindly) across the Close into by stationary car.
It took 12 months and a court summonds (and a statement from my mate who fortunately 'saw everything'
) to sort it out. Anyway I promised myself that whatever happened they wouldn't get away with it without paying in one form or another. Fortunately (for her) her insurance did eventually pay up (having wasted days of my time). Had they not then her car may well of experience some rather unfortunate 'acts of god' late one night (I'm sorry but with these people it's the only way).
>> Edited by MikeE on Thursday 30th May 10:46
I won't bore you with the whole story but basically a numbskull bint in a 4x4 (doing the school run) damaged my car outside my house. Her husband turns up that evening (they only live around the corner from me) and admits it's all her fault and says he'll pay (out of his pocket) to get it repaired. Well surprise surprise 2 days later I phone him with the repair quote and the retarded scroat has changed his mind, apparently it was all my fault she reversed (blindly) across the Close into by stationary car.
It took 12 months and a court summonds (and a statement from my mate who fortunately 'saw everything'
) to sort it out. Anyway I promised myself that whatever happened they wouldn't get away with it without paying in one form or another. Fortunately (for her) her insurance did eventually pay up (having wasted days of my time). Had they not then her car may well of experience some rather unfortunate 'acts of god' late one night (I'm sorry but with these people it's the only way). >> Edited by MikeE on Thursday 30th May 10:46
Exactly JohnL - and you can also phone up claiming to be a trader to get information too - but you didnt hear that one from me, right?
Or, you can get additional information from people like Equifax or HPI. Ok, so this costs money but you should be able to get relevant information for your purposes.
As for contacting insurance companies - there is a process that can be used to pursue claims. Takes ages and doesnt always work, but get some proof and put it through the process - if it fails take it to the Insurance Ombudsman...
Cheers,
Paul
Or, you can get additional information from people like Equifax or HPI. Ok, so this costs money but you should be able to get relevant information for your purposes.
As for contacting insurance companies - there is a process that can be used to pursue claims. Takes ages and doesnt always work, but get some proof and put it through the process - if it fails take it to the Insurance Ombudsman...
Cheers,
Paul
If your secretary spots 'em again why not follow the car and find out where home/work is. A few discreet enquiries using 192.com and hey, presto you have a name and an address. If you have the case number from your original police complaint you can then report it as information against that case.
Then you get friendly solicitor to write the miscreant driver a letter saying you'vre reported them and want compensation. Offer an out of court settlement but say if this is not acceptable you'll go to small claims.
Longer, more drawn out, but legal. God knows if it would work BUT you can cause your miscreant driver/car owner heartache and grief and quite possibly expense - which is at least some small satisfaction...
Then you get friendly solicitor to write the miscreant driver a letter saying you'vre reported them and want compensation. Offer an out of court settlement but say if this is not acceptable you'll go to small claims.
Longer, more drawn out, but legal. God knows if it would work BUT you can cause your miscreant driver/car owner heartache and grief and quite possibly expense - which is at least some small satisfaction...
quote:
Surely the "Legal Protection" on your own insurnace policy will deal with most of this (assuming you paid the extra £10-£15).. they could even hire investigators etc. to track them down for you...
Bollocks. Insurance companies aren't interested in the truth, and from their point of view its probably cheaper to roll over and cough up than to try and track down the culprit, and then have a court case trying to prove it actually was them.
quote:
quote:
Surely the "Legal Protection" on your own insurnace policy will deal with most of this (assuming you paid the extra £10-£15).. they could even hire investigators etc. to track them down for you...
Bollocks. Insurance companies aren't interested in the truth, and from their point of view its probably cheaper to roll over and cough up than to try and track down the culprit, and then have a court case trying to prove it actually was them.
But in this case there is potentially an original report to the police of the accident... descrption of the driver and vehicle in question... repair bill for work done to the car corroborating the accident.. more reports to the police.. in my mind theres plenty to win the argument on, and the claim for legal expenses that the insurance underwriters could put against the other person would be worth it...
.. also remember that even if the fault of the accident was disputed, the other driver still "failed to stop" at the time of the accident too... very incriminating...
if your secretary has a legal insurance policy they should help - in short she can go to the Motor Insurers' Bureau. If they feel that the information is insufficient to "trace" the third party, she can be compensated for the injuries and financial losses associated to the injuries (therefore no excess and the like but loss of earnings/physiotherapy etc). If the Bureau accept that the third party can be identified, they will compensate if she wont give her insurance details. They will then try and recover it from scumbag herself. By doing it this way though innocent punter still loses out by way of a £300 excess on Motor Insurers Bureau Claims under the uninsured drivers agreement (other agreement is untraced drivers agreement). As I say, legal expenses policy should be used.
Oh, and guess who pays for the Motor Insurers Bureau. Funnily enough, all us lot who have to pay enormous amounts for insurance.
Oh, and guess who pays for the Motor Insurers Bureau. Funnily enough, all us lot who have to pay enormous amounts for insurance.
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