CuttedUpPear
Sat 09-Mar-13 19:30:02
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.
I've never heard of an insurance disc. Tax disc yes but not an insurance disc.
Pear, you can contact your insurance company and give them his reg number. They have access to an insurance database and will know who it is, or at least who he's insured with. They then contact his insurance.
I had similar last year when the other party didn't stop after nearly killing me. Mine was complicated by the fact we had one letter wrong in the number plate. A v instead of a w.
He denied it was him and the police said they couldn't do anything as my independt witness had written the reg down wrong. I hired some no win, no fee sharks and it was going to go to court. The month before court they backed down and paid out.
Hopefully yours will be easier if you've got the right reg.
AThingInYourLife
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:39:25
I swear we have an insurance disc.
Anyway, never mind.
Don't listen to anything I have to say on the matter.
Well, if there is no law about liability when on a person's private property, then why does my house insurance have a 'personal liability' section? So that if I get sued because someone, say, breaks their legs on my property, the insurance company will cover the suit. Companies have the same insurance, I'm sure.
Kiriwawa
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:45:05
Absolutely they will have insurance. I'm self-employed and have public liability insurance - I have to cover myself. The auction house will too.
This is wilful damage and intimidation isn't it? And are the auctioneers accessories because they knew this van driver was doing this and didn't do anything to intervene?
What a horrible thing to happen, you must be really shaken up 
Their insurance will cover stuff like if a big branch from a tree in their car park fell on your car and damaged it. I don't think it covers the actions of other members of the public.
mercibucket
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:55:10
You need to push the police to treat this as more than a car crash, and as a road rage incident
Hope you are ok today and not too shaken up
mercibucket
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:55:11
You need to push the police to treat this as more than a car crash, and as a road rage incident
Hope you are ok today and not too shaken up
AThingInYourLife
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:57:17
Shit, don't ask me, Tee, I'd be down at the auction house looking for their public liability disc.
PaddingtonBearsDuffleCoat
Sun 10-Mar-13 09:58:53
You most certainly do not have to display any insurance details on your car in England or Wales, just a valid tax disc. There seem to be two criminal offences here- criminal damage and failure to report/leave the scene of an accident. The police could also look at whether there is any evidence of dangerous driving which is a much more serious charge. Drivers who cause damage to others have 24 hours to report the matter to the police if they don't leave their details at the scene. In my experience it can take weeks for the police to follow up on this as it is not something they prioritise. Is the auction house a small business or part of a larger group? If it is the latter then I would complain to the head office about their part in the matter.
AThingInYourLife.
I'm staying out of the car part, as I don't have a car. Or a tax disc. 
You have to display mot certificate in Northern Ireland as well as your tax disc
In the Republic of Ireland you need to display insurance as well as tax and mot.
Sorry to hear about your frightening experience op
But surely you need his details to make a claim on his insurance without them surely its your insurance that gets hit.
How can your insurance company reclaim their losses with
out his details?
You don't need to display insurance details but don't you need to have valid insurance to get your tax disk? Maybe that's where the confusion is.
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:29:41
Let's not worry about displaying insurance details please.
My insurance will contact his insurance I'm sure.
But as for the police - are wilful damage and intimidation actual offences? I know nothing.
I think (hope) the police will come to see me this week.
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:32:14
The auction house people really looked like they wanted nothing to do with it.
When I was ready to leave I went into their office and said; " I'm sorry for all the shouting back then. But I was TRYING to get someone's attention to come and help me".
They said nothing.
MrsMushroom
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:38:09
You blocked him in, he tried to get out...you shouted at him, he bumped your car once not three times....you tried to take his keys as he was driving...I know he was wrong and impatient....but why did you block him in and shout? It sounds like you were both badly behaved.
BoneyBackJefferson
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:38:30
From his PoV/his story
I was parked in
I tried to get out
A woman came out and started screaming at me
I hit her car
Pulled the dent out and drove off because the woman tried to assault me by taking my keys off me.
You might get 50/50
MrsMushroom
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:43:39
That's it....I know he was acting badly...but really OP...trying to take his keys was beyond foolish as you could have been seriously hurt.
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:46:49
He wasn't blocked in.
He hit me twice.
After the first time I asked him to stop driving.
After the second time I tried to take his keys out - to prevent him hitting me a third time.
And I am badly behaved? Get a grip.
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:48:23
And I shouted to get help/attract an independant witness.
So I should have just kept quiet like the good little woman Mrs Mushroom? Would that make you happy?
MrsMushroom
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:50:01
"After loading up I'd had to park temporarily (and only possibly/slightly) blocking a van in"
You said the above...making it seem like you blocked him in....and he obviously could not get out if he hit your car.
You then shouted at him to stop....then he tried to re-manouver and you "really shouted at him" and he hit your car again...and then you tried to take his keys.
You can't act like that OP....it's not ok and I have a grip. He should not have behaved badly if he did...but by the sound of it, you were mainly to blame for the situation.
MrsMushroom
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:50:53
No Pear...I never said you should be "the good little anything....but neither should you have selfishly blocked him in. What if he had an emergency?
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:53:32
If someone is deliberately ramming my car and they won't stop when asked, I do have the right to try to attract help and I do have the right to try to stop them.
If you read my OP you'll see that he managed to get out without me moving my car and without hitting me in the end. He had five feet to manoeuvre in but chose to directly hit my car twice.
CuttedUpPear
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:55:37
You need to understand that he was lining up to hit it deliberately about 2 feet into the body work.
Kiriwawa
Sun 10-Mar-13 10:56:58
Are you reading the same thread I am MrsM?
This is a woman who's been intimidated and had her car damaged by a bloke and you think she's in the wrong? Yes, she got upset and yes, trying to take the keys probably wasn't the most sensible thing to do but she was asking him to stop ramming her car and he didn't.
