Ran over a bike.

[Frogqueen13]

I ran over a child's bike- unattended in front on my car on my drive. I could find owner so left it on the side of the road. Went to get my car fixed as it had pulled a bit of the underneath off. And went to work late.

Now I have a note through my door asking what I am going to do to resolve this before she calls the police.

Wwyd?

I would suspect this of being a scam. What parent would let their child out on a new bike and not check they were back safely.

Unless there is cctv to show it was on the pavement I'd send them a copy of the bill for damage to your car and say you were not intending to pursue them for the cost as you didnt know who the bike belonged to but can they please teach their child that it is not safe to leave their bicycle under a car.

However in future check the pavement before you drive off.

If you left it on the side of the road how did they know to put a note through your door? It sounds suspicious to me. I mean, why accept a bike abandoned two streets away when the child returns home, especially if it's a precious present? If it had been stolen from under your car overnight would they have held you responsible for that too?

Do you have legal protection with your house or car insurance? It might be worth a phone call to their helpline to get some advice.

Surely if the bike had been in front of the car on the path the it'd have seen in the OP's peripheral vision. If the bike was under the car, which it sounds like it was, then it's a different matter as it was on the OPs drive.

I wouldn't pay anything but do agree you should at least have a quick glance around. Ive watched someone run over a glass bottle some passerby had dropped into their drive. This week my drive has been littered with firework bits each morning. Some of the plastic could easily shred my tyres.

Please do not pay.

They are resonsible for the damage to your car.
Imagine if they had left a concrete block on your drive, you would be writing saying - how can I get them to pay for the damage they have done to my car?

Don't go round tonight, OP. There's no rush to sort it out. They weren't in a hurry to look for their precious bike when it was "missing" were they?
It's very odd and probably a scam.
Take your time and get more advice.

if it is a company car just report it to the insurers for heavens sake! Pass the details on to them and let them get on with it.

Don't pay a penny!!

Next time the child will look after their own stuff won't they

I never look round the car, OP. I don't think my mirrors would pick up a car if it was half under the back.

I think you should ask to see a receipt for the bike if it's new. Also ask where the child was at the time this happened, since it seems they weren't in the road either. If they say 'at neighbour so and so' then pop in there and check the story. If it all seems quite sound then I would offer to contribute half MINUS the damage to your car. (So if bike cost £200 then offer £100 minus whatever your car cost). If it is a civil matter then this is purely a kind gesture and they'll have no more luck with the police than you.

Total scam. Do go round, with your itemised car repair bill, and tell them the bike they abandoned on your property has damaged your car and they need to pay. Tell them you'd been looking for the culprit and you're glad they've identified themselves so you can pursue it.

Also you can say that if the bike was left unattended it could easily have been stolen.

Does sound very scam-like, doesn't it?

Presumably the bike appeared after you parked you car, but not in the daylight when it would have been easily visible?

So why is a kid out & about on a bike in the dark & leaving it under a car 2rds streets away?

And why, when the kid arrived home without the bike, was nothing done?

diddl - I think OP said she works nights, so it was probably left within normal "playtime" hours.

Child could have fallen off, got scared, run home and by the time they got back the damage was done? Or could have been stolen from outside their own house and dumped in front of your drive by someone else?

It wouldn't cross my mind to pay if I was the OP. My first thought would be getting the parents of the child to pay for the damage to my car.

Yes, hadn't thought of that.

It's a difficult one, isn't it?

I think that a lot of people who park in their own drive wouldn't walk around the car, would they?

OP, I feel for you. Who really checks in front of/all around their car that there's nobody lying on the road before they drive off??

Don't pay. They left their biike on your drive and under your car. They are responsible for keeping their bike safe.

Sounds very scammy to me.

Sounds like a scam to me. Child from two streets away leaves their bike half under your car, and just walks off far enough away from it that you can't see them? Nah.

Check with your employer/fleet management before you do anything else op, you shouldn't usually do any repairs or respond to any accident claims without their guidance.

Why would the OP walk around her car that is parked on her own drive. I would never do that as no-one should be on my drive apart from me & DH or the odd post-man but they are generally above car-height? Non?

We all know it would be sensible to check round your car before setting off, along with checking lights, tyres and oil. But the reality is not many people do.

The only time I remember checking religiously was when my profession were a target of the IRA. Always felt a wally looking under your car outside Woolworths in the pouring rain......

There is no way I would pay. Let them report to police, or take to court. Let them prove you were negligent.

Agree with drudge

Frogqueen - I don't know if you're still reading, or if this will get lost in all the other posts anyway but

I would go round and find out the circumstances of the bike being left where it was. Both the "falling off" and "stolen & dumped" scenarios I mentioned before are from my own childhood. Depending on the answer, you may feel a little more compassion for the child.
I would then suggest that they claim on their own household insurance for the bike.

Good luck.

I don't think you should go round or pay anything. I would ignore the 101 advice too. That sounds like their own personal opinion not the law.

I would be annoyed if this was my child and their bike but I would not expect you to pay and would make my own child replace it themselves if they could. I would not pay your car repairs though as I would see that as your own responsibility for driving over something without checking around the vehicle first.

actually, I agree with upandaround about the car repairs.
I don't think I would actually expect them to pay, but the presentation of the car bill shoudl stop the nonsense about paying for the bike.

In others words, the outcome should be that you both agree to fix your own stuff.

This time of year it takes time for your windscreen to clear even if you don't need to scrape it so I imagine you didn't start up and drive away instantly. Children or animals would have long shifted by then.

Child comes home without their Christmas bike. On what planet does a parent not ask, where's your bike, go fetch it, you can't leave that lying around!
They left the bike. They couldn't be bothered going to fetch it because it was teatime, cold, dark, whatever.

Either point out it is a company car and say you'll report it to the insurers.
Or say you're out of pocket too. Show them the garage bill. Say a lot of people would contact the police and sort out what they owe you for damage to your car. But you are prepared to let it go and call it quits.