Mumsnet Talk

This morning I went to an auction. After loading up I'd had to park temporarily (and only possibly/slightly) blocking a van in so I could go inside and pay. The porter there who parked me up in the space said he knew who I was if they needed me to move and I left my phone number in the windscreen while I went inside for a few mins.

I came back out to my car to find the van driver with his vehicle reversed up against my front wheel. I told him I would move so he could get out, though wasn't best pleased that his van was actually in contact with my car. Anyway he went forward, changed his angle and started reversing again. It wasn't a good angle for him to try and I shouted at him to stop as he would clearly hit the car - which he did, buckling my front wing.

Then he got out, pulled the dent out with his hands, and re-manoeuvred. By now I was really shouting loudly at him in the hope someone would come (there were about 100 people inside the building) and witness this or hopefully help me to stop him. I tried to take his keys out of his ignition when it looked like he was going to ram me for the third time as he had his window open, but I couldn't manage it and he kept trying until he actually got out of the space, without me moving and without hitting my car again.

He refused to give me his details and drove off.
Anyway there was a nice lady witness and I have reported it to the police.

But I am flabbergasted by some of the men's attitudes round there, variously:

"We heard you shouting and thought it was a domestic so didn't do anything"
"We know his name but we're not going to tell you" (these two from the auctioneers office)
"Don't get the police involved, this is private land"
"Well, your car has a bit of rust on it anyway"

I am NOT liking stupid, rural, old men today.

What is likely to happen next? I haven't had a chance to call my insurance yet as I've been dealing with the police all day. I suppose he'll deny it.

What a bastard! I hope you're OK. I don't know what will happen next, presumably the police will contact you. Did you tell them what the men outside said? I don't suppose they have CCTV do they?

I did tell them what the staff had said but apparently they were under no obligation to give me the man's details because of the data protection act. I suppose that's correct but still - I was standing there having my property wilfully damaged by this man and I'm not allowed to know who he is??

And the comment that "we thought it was a domestic so we didn't do anything" was suffixed with "so we all had a laugh and got on with the auction" (by a customer not staff, but still) just sums up why we need feminism.

As my lovely DD said "Happy day-in-between International women's Day and Mother's Day, mum!"

I believe the Police can request information from them, including CCTV.

There are CCTV cameras there but I think that they were too distant, and possibly too many other vans parked in the way.

I will have to ring my insurance today [sigh]

Presumably you have his licence plate?

The police will know who he is, and if you are reporting him for having been in an accident and leaving the scene they will be able to contact him.

Well, he could deny it but you have an independent witness.

Don't stand for this treatment, write everything down clearly and concisely, including the name of the porter who told you to park there, if you know it, otherwise a description including time of day of the incident.

Then call a solicitor. You can probably get a brief meeting for free to see what your rights are.

I am not a sue happy person, but you could have been in serious danger, on their private property, and none of them seem to care. Make it so they have to care. Make it their business.

Don't take this lying down.

Yes the police have been round to his house but he wasn't in. Unfortunately this happened in a different police force area from the one I live in and the original police force sent a CPSO to see me but she wasn't allowed to take a statement so I spent hours yesterday trying to find a police station in my area that was open.
I managed to make it in the end but there's some confusion over which police force is going to process the incident.

Tee you're right. I was wondering if I was being over sensitive to feel that there should have been a better response from the auction house.

The fact that they stopped the auction indoors to comment because they heard me shouting/screaming but then made a joke of it and moved on is quite chilling.

Cutted - ask the police for his insurance details.

You will need to make a claim against his insurance, and you don't need his agreement to do that.

You have to publicly display your insurance details on your car by law. It is public information.

You don't need a lawyer yet. You have an insurance company you pay good money to for exactly this sort of situation.

Inform your insurers if the accident too.

Oh, and the damage to your car is evidence. It probably has paint from his car on it.

Don't get in fixed yet.

The insurance company isn't going to do anything about the fact that she was in danger on the auction houses land and they don't seem to give 2 figs.

I agree the insurance company can deal with the car aspect. I'm more concerned about the 'old boys club' of the auction people who ignored cries for help.

Yeah, I don't think she's going to get anywhere with that.

Not legally anyway.

Well, until we all, every time something like this happens, make a huge stink, via any and all legal channels available, then behaviour like this will not change and will continue to be accepted.

The auction house some responsibility here. Their staff told her to park there. Their staff ignored the issue.

What if she had, god forbid, been hurt or even killed by this moron? Would you still say she should do nothing? Or her family?

Be a part of the solution. Don't accept the problem.

AThingInYourLife

"You have to publicly display your insurance details on your car by law. It is public information."

Eh? First I've heard of that in the UK!

OP Get your own insurers onto this one.

You don't need to display your insurance details on your car if this was in the UK.
Take photos of your car and the damage (wide view and close up). Echo the need to write down in detail what happened - a lot of cases are made much more troublesome than they should be because people give slightly different accounts of the accident to their insurance, the other sides insurance, their solicitors etc. If you have a detailed witness statement already completed you can just refer to that.
As for the auction house's response - words fail me. And if they have knowledge of the man's identity (ie they actually know him rather than have to look him up) it doesn't fall within an arse's roar of the data protection act. So bollocks to them trying to hide behind that as an excuse.

I'm not sure what law you think they have broken.

The auction house is not legally (or morally) responsible for what the can driver did.

That's on him.

Yes, it's horrible that nobody came to her assistance, but there is no law obliging them to. Or insisting that they must not laugh at her distress.

I don't know much about auction houses, but I'd be looking for ways to make what happened public in a way that would damage their reputation. Not calling a lawyer.

Don't you have to display a valid insurance disc in the UK?

<goes out to remove insurance disc from car>

You have to publicly display your insurance details on your car by law. It is public information."

Eh? First I've heard of that in the UK!

I was just about to ask about this one to. Never heard of it. I'm in my early 50's have I been breaking the law on this for all these years ??

Awful. Hope you are ok.

So why do they send out insurance disks then?

Sorry, my mistake obviously. My knowledge of insurance is from another jurisdiction.

Write everything down in as much detail as you can remember, including description of him, everything said between you both, times it happened, description of his vehicle, was anyone else with him etc. Take photo of your car. Get details of those who heard something but didn't bother to help you. Anyone involved in a crash MUST give their names and address to the other driver at the time otherwise they commit a further offence of failing to stop at an accident. Hope that helps.

I've never had an insurance disc. Are you talking about the tax disc? Where do you live (rules are slightly different in NI - but I think you only have to display your valid MOT there)?

I've never had an insurance disc. I'm in England if it makes a difference. All you have to display is your road tax disc, passenger side.