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Original poster

Hit and run, other driver now telling lies

27 replies

BigPaperBag · 27/02/2021 12:52

As it says really. We were involved in a hit and run last year. At a roundabout and DH was slowly pulling forward, doing about 10mph. All of a sudden a woman pulled across 3 lanes, hit us on the off side, bounced off, did a 180 degree spin which nearly hit several other cars before doing a 3 point turn and driving off 🤦‍♀️ Anyway, she’s now trying to say that we drove into her!! We have an independent witness who corroborated our side of events but does anyone have any experience of anything similar? Do people ever get away with these sorts of porkies even though we are 100% in the right. Sadly no CCTV on that particular roundabout.

OP posts:
ProfessorSlocombe · 27/02/2021 13:03

Did you get photos of your and her damage at the time and scene ?

Dashcam ?

How did you report it to your insurers and how were repairs to your car paid for ?

How has her story come to light ?

Original poster
BigPaperBag · 27/02/2021 13:21

Got photos of our damage but no pics of her car as it was a hit and run and she literally didn’t stop. We did but she drove off. Only got a pic of the car and the number plate. Showed some damage to the back though.

No dashcam 😢

We reported it the next day by phone as they were closed at the time of the incident. We paid £100 excess by credit card and the rest has been paid for by motability.

She never called the Police, they went to her house and they spoke to her. She told her insurer this (fairy)story.

Do all of these things get taken into consideration? Got literally no experience of this!

OP posts:
Original poster
BigPaperBag · 27/02/2021 13:22

Just realised that my first paragraph made no sense! We got some pics but they’re not that great

OP posts:
Cheeseandlobster · 27/02/2021 13:24

People like this make me so angry. I bet she had been drinking. Its her word against yours AND an independent witness. Hopefully this and the photos may be sufficient?

Twizbe · 27/02/2021 13:27

Have you ever seen claimed and shamed? They can work out lots of stuff from the damage to cars.

It's likely that the damage to your car wouldn't stack up to her claim that you drove into her.

bloodywhitecat · 27/02/2021 13:29

Many years ago exH was driving along, minding his own business when a car driver came flying out of a drive, in reverse and took out the entire passenger side of our car. At the time the driver admitted liability but later tried to blame exH, saying he had hit her (the damage was to the rear of her car and the back and front passenger doors of ours). The insurance company saw through it and awarded the claim at 100% her fault/0% exH's. We also had a witness who corroborated H's side of the story. She was a newly qualified driver and it was her 3rd claim that year, all her fault (we know this because her boyfriend came round and tried to get us to settle without involving insurance).

ProfessorSlocombe · 27/02/2021 13:30

She never called the Police, they went to her house and they spoke to her

Sorry, this confuses me ?

  1. She whacks your car and promptly scoots ?
  2. You (correctly) inform the police ?
  3. As a result of your report the police have to visit her where she admits the accident happened but tries to spin a fairy story ?

At that point (3) she has effectively admitted the offence of failing to report a road traffic accident and is immediately liable for that. The police don't need to do anything it's her own testimony.

That's the criminal side of things.

It sounds like your insurers (RSA) have decided they're not too fussed about chasing her up.

If you reported the accident to the police originally, there's not much more you can do. Were you given any paperwork at the time ?

QueenPaw · 27/02/2021 13:33

Sometimes they do. My tiny car rolled, very slowly about 2m into a giant pick up after then handbrake failed
My car had a scratch, cost me £50 to repair. They claimed for £3500. Insurers decided it was cheaper to settle than go to court...
they reckon the damage was already there

ProfessorSlocombe · 27/02/2021 13:35

My tiny car rolled, very slowly about 2m into a giant pick up after then handbrake failed

One reason I was taught ( a very long time ago) to also leave a car in gear when parked. Mind you I was also taught to "rip" the handbrake rather than ponce around with the thumb on the button and risk losing a click.

QueenPaw · 27/02/2021 13:39

@ProfessorSlocombe yep it's always left in gear now. I didn't think as I parked, ran in for something I forgot and ran back out just as it slid at 2mph into the other car. Rolled is probably an overstatement, even the insurance assessor who came out looked Hmm when they saw the gradient

Original poster
BigPaperBag · 27/02/2021 13:40

@ProfessorSlocombe Yup, that’s it just as you said it. I think I’m just annoyed more than anything!
@Twizbe I love that show! The outright cheek of those people it makes my jaw drop. I watched one the other day on YouTube where the woman was trying to claim for about £48k of jewellery whereas I’m there desperately worrying whether I should put £800 of £850 for the iPad!!

OP posts:
Grenlei · 27/02/2021 13:40

Unfortunately this is why everyone should have a dashcam. They only cost £30 or less.

In this case if her insurers refuse to concede, which they might, it could end up having to go to court and then it comes down to what's believable. Just because a witness corroborates your version of events doesn't guarantee success unfortunately. A judge will have to decide on the evidence presented and who seems more credible. I've seen some surprising judicial decisions over the years.

PurpleMustang · 27/02/2021 13:42

Just tell the truth. Have had this happen where they try and say it was your fault. Likely not a hit and run though. With the witnesses and the pics and the diagram you do, they will be able to easily be able to tell from what angle the accident happened.

PurpleMustang · 27/02/2021 13:43

Sorry should say luckily NOT likely

Original poster
BigPaperBag · 27/02/2021 13:50

I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking telling these lies. I’m just hoping that the insurance companies can sort it out between themselves. Anyone got any suggestions for a good dashcam?

OP posts:
dimples76 · 27/02/2021 14:08

I was hit by another car when I had right of way turning right from a major road to a minor road and they were waiting at the give way lines on the minor road to turn right. They went into the back of me as I went around the corner. I think it was obvious to everyone how the accident occurred given that they hit the back part of the car/rear wheel. However, they denied liability and their statement made no sense e.g. they didn't know I was turning right (obviously the indicators, road position as I approached the turning, speed and the fact I was turning right gave them no clues). I told the other driver I would park in the retail park car park to exchange details. He drove on to a roundabout so he could come back and join me. He actually drove onto the roundabout, over the other side and hit a lamp post. Fortunately no-one was injured but he came v close to hitting a pedestrian.

It dragged on for ages and was due to go to court. It was only after the Council sought compensation for damage to a roundabout and a street light that they finally accepted liability.

user1471550643 · 27/02/2021 14:19

I’m sorry this happened to you. I had a situation where a car pulled out of a space on the side of the road and hit my car as I was driving past (obviously didn’t see me) .. at the time she apologised but later changed her story and said I had hit her. Luckily I had a witness and I had also taken pictures of the damage which made it clear what had happened. (This was pre dash cam). Insurers asked witness for statement, had the pictures and the other insurers then admitted liability and paid out.

peak2021 · 27/02/2021 14:32

@Grenlei sadly I share your view of the judiciary when it comes to crimes committed by people whilst behind the wheel. They must watch too many Jeremy Clarkson motoring programmes.

LApprentiSorcier · 27/02/2021 14:36

At the time the driver admitted liability but later tried to blame exH, saying he had hit her (the damage was to the rear of her car and the back and front passenger doors of ours).

What did she say you'd done - driven sideways? Grin

Rafflesway · 27/02/2021 14:40

@Grenlei

Unfortunately this is why everyone should have a dashcam. They only cost £30 or less.

In this case if her insurers refuse to concede, which they might, it could end up having to go to court and then it comes down to what's believable. Just because a witness corroborates your version of events doesn't guarantee success unfortunately. A judge will have to decide on the evidence presented and who seems more credible. I've seen some surprising judicial decisions over the years.

Unfortunately, for some strange reason, Motability won't allow you to fit a dashcam into one of their cars. ☹️

We wanted one in ours but they don't allow them.

Londontown12 · 27/02/2021 14:58

Insurance should be able to figure it all out ! I had an accident when I had no where to pull in, the other driver drove straight into me and said she had right of way lol but I had no where to pull in ! Anyways she called police and they said no is hurt and no one has been drinking ect ect went throu insurance it was 50/50 so both to blame and then she tried to say she had been injured and I was like ermmm no she wasn’t she got straight out of the car and was screaming and shouting at me luckily it happened near my in-laws house and they witnessed it all (thankgod ) she was trying to scam the insurance! X

Cherrysoup · 27/02/2021 15:01

With an independent witness and her not stopping, she is extremely unlikely to win. She’s having a laugh! Just keep going back to her insurer via yours and repeat what happened. It may take a while, but there’s no way she can win.

Grenlei · 27/02/2021 15:03

Rafflesway I can't understand why any vehicle provider would say that - some new models of car have inbuilt dashcams!

I've found this from Motability which says you can have a dashcam so long as it can be removed without damage and you cover the cost (unless the position has changed since then):
news.motability.co.uk/motoring/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dashcams/

DGRossetti · 27/02/2021 15:54

Unfortunately, for some strange reason, Motability won't allow you to fit a dashcam into one of their cars. ☹️

????

We wanted one in ours but they don't allow them.

We have a Motability car, and I put a dashcam in. Which Motability know since I have submitted footage from it when a taxi driver bumped my rear.

You may want to check that out again.

Although when they took the car for repair, the company handling the repair were quite emphatic that all recording devices needed to be disabled "for security" so you couldn't catch them up to anything naughty

Rafflesway · 27/02/2021 16:35

[quote Grenlei]Rafflesway I can't understand why any vehicle provider would say that - some new models of car have inbuilt dashcams!

I've found this from Motability which says you can have a dashcam so long as it can be removed without damage and you cover the cost (unless the position has changed since then):
news.motability.co.uk/motoring/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dashcams/[/quote]
Thanks for that! Must have changed since we had our last car which is due for changing later this year but it was definitely a "No" 3 years ago.

We even offered to pay for it being professionally fitted but was still told no.

Pleased to see they have seen sense by the look of things.