Involved in (small) collision - need advice please

[wondering1101]

About half an hour ago on my way home this evening and going round a bend, my car and the car coming the other way came into contact.

We both stopped. The other person’s car has white scrape marks but no dents down the left hand back door. Mine has a dent, some black paint marks and some actual scratches in the paint on the front right hand wing.

Instead of exchanging insurance details, the other person suggested we both get quotes at the local garage, and split the cost down the middle. I said yes. She said we don’t know who is at fault and that was also my first thought when it happened. My dd reckons I was close to my side of the road but she could be wrong.

Initially, before she realised that her car was also scraped (but not scratched like mine is), the other driver was going to pay for all my damage, but when she saw her white paint marks she came up with the split the cost down the middle thing. Her friend was telling her not to talk (in their language but I understood) ie. don’t offer to pay all this person’s costs.

So I have to contact her this evening and we are going to the garage together.

Have I done the wrong thing / right thing?

It might be a set up. Suddenly you will find they both have whiplash, other injuries etc. Their car could suddenly ' develop ' further problems. You should have taken a photo of the damage . Having said that it could be genuine. Good luck.

If she is agreeing to go 50/50 and younand your daughter think she was at fault then she has got a great deal!

Or she disappears and you never hear from her again and you are left paying for the damage to your car.

Exchange insurance details every time. Even if you do decide you want to settle it, at least you have the If worst comes to worst.

Go through the insurance. Much safer.

Much safer to go through insurance. There was a thread on here the other day that was similar the the other party claimed they had an injury and it was all a mess.

She was claiming that both our premiums would go up - is that true, regardless of whose fault it is?

Apologies for my ignorance.

What happens if you can’t establish fault.

Do you think you were at fault?

Premiums may go up but it's better to go down the official route. They may come back to you and say there's hidden damage on their car and it'll cost £1000 to fix and you agreed 50-50.

As far as I was concerned I was going round the bend normally. Beyond that I really don’t know. I suppose it is only an onlooker who might have a more objective view.

You won't establish fault, you'll give the insurance companies a statement and draw a wee picture and they'll decide. They may decide it's 50/50, they may not.

Do you have any of her details apart from a phone number?

But I suppose that is always open to being contested by the “other side”?

I think this person is genuine. If we end up paying £150 each, for argument’s sake, presumably our premiums might have gone up by that and more, and there would have been the excess to pay.

Phone number and she runs a shop near where I live.

She wants me to come to the garage near her house .

She might well be genuine but when she starts hearing the figures involved in a repair then people change.

You might need a new wing which is expensive.

They think their damage is going to cost less to repair than mine - and I agree.

How bloody annoying it all is .

So insistent on insurance details and take their registration number if it happens again.

you need toinform your insurance regardless.
tbh I would go through insurance, saves a lot of bother (that's what you pay for!)
you can still pay the repair yourself if you wish to, but you don't want to be out of pocket due to an injury claim.

If you're not even sure who's fault it is but she's offering to go 50/50 no questions asked id be suspicious. Perhaps she doesn't have insurance. Id be wary op

That’s my dent (scratches paint not so visible but will need repairing, and black marks from her car not in picture but I think they will come off). Will the whole side panel need to be replaced?

Why are you giving this headspace?
Go through the insurers. This doesn’t smell right. There will be something in your insurance terms that says you have to inform your insurers of an accident.

If you’re still not going to involve insurers, at least get three quotes.

scratched paint I mean.

There is two panels damaged.

Two schools of thought here. If I wasn’t at fault I would want both repaired/replaced and to be in the same condition as it was before the accident.

Or if I thought I was also at fault or didn’t care of cosmetic damage then a patch up would suffice.

How do I go through the insurers at this stage? I have her name and phone number and the shop where she works.

I am lost. If my damage is quite costly, but they can’t establish fault, what do they do?