Car accident involving colleague

[WrendaleCountryDogs]

On Thursday, a colleague was driving into our work place car park and swerved to avoid a car coming out, and went straight into my car. Cctv shows she was going too fast and the other driver had right of way as it's a narrow entrance/exit and road signs show priority is to the one exiting the car park.
Anyway my car is damaged. I was parked in a bay and not in the car. I took car to garage yesterday and they said its going be around £800 to sort the damage. I've got my MOT in February and the car won't Pass based on the damage.
Spoke to colleague,.who I've known for years and we get on really well. I said we can go through her insurance or she can pay for it. She was very evasive and has now said she's not actually insured. She is also adamant she can't pay £800. This is probably true as she's got twin 2 year old and a 15 month old.

What the he'll do I do? I cannot afford this. Car is a 2010 and done over 150k miles. If the mot failed and it was to cost me £800 I'd scrap it and get another car. But it's not me that has caused this damage.

What do I do???

This is horrible, and awkward, but you have to go through your insurance if she can't/won't pay.

I may be wrong, but I thought that you are required to inform your insurers regardless? My insurance requires me to inform of any material change, including an accident or damage, whether or not I want them involved. Because if that affects the performance of the vehicle and a repair is botched by a cowboy, you may not be insured.

And sorry but I would be informing the police too. No matter how hard her life is, that is no excuse. It's lucky if we a car she hit whilst recklessly driving uninsured. It could have been a person. If she'd learned her lesson she'd be moving heaven and earth to fix this, not making excuses. Next time it might be a person.

You're being ti kind to this woman. She knowingly has been driving without insurance and has been driving too fast and no following the car parking signs and has now crashed into a stationary car. It's just luck you weren't in it. Or there was no pedestrians.

She should have her licence removed! She'll have to find another job. That isn't your issue. She's broken the law.

Have you checked on MID to see if she is insured? I'd check just in case.

You have no choice but to go through the insurance. I would also be informing the police, if it's the first time it might be points and a fine. However if you don't inform them and she has an accident with her kids in the car and one of them is injured you would feel awful. Obviously informing them might not stop her doing it but atleast you would know you had done everything you could.

You need to be unemotional here.
There is so much wrong here:
• She caused £800 worth of damage to your car
• it wasn't even an "accident"
• she was driving too fast and against the rules of the car park
• she was driving without insurance
• she hasn't got the money to fix your car.....

None of this is your fault, it's all her own doing!!
Just tell her you need to go through insurance and give your insurance company her details.
She'll be lucky to keep her licence, so maybe 800 pounds is the least of her worries.

She'll be in trouble for sure so she can do that or pay. She does have a choice.

This and she knew she had no insurance - image her injuring one of her own child or not paying her mot and hitting a child going to fast when she picks them up - it’s a huge no - it’s criminal

A problem she created, you have the solution.

Not sure what advice you want ?

OP, it's not your problem unfortunately. This happened to a friend of mine. Go through your insurance, at the end of the day it sounds like she was driving carelessly and also has been careless not to be insured

All of that is her own fault. It doesnt matter. It doeant change anything.

You can give her the option. "I cant afford this. I pay for insurance so I dont have to. You can either pay the £800 and then I dont need my insurance or you can refuse and I'll give your details to my insurance and you'll have to deal with that. Those really are the only options."

I think if she had offered a solution, like paying it off that would be different but as she hasn't I'm not sure what she expects you to do (also now I wouldn't trust her as she is likely to not pay it back). You know what you have to do.

Don't be a doormat, op. Everything that's happened and the consequences she will face are completely her fault. Call the police, get the footage, and call your insurance company.

I'm sorry, but I also need my car for work. So I make sure that I am driving legal! Regardless of her personal circumstances, I do not believe for one minute that there aren't things she chooses to spend money on that she doesn't absolutely need, when she could and should have paid for insurance that enables her to work. She thought she was being clever and would get away with it. She didn't.

You report it to your insurers and they pay the damage. The police may be interested but she needs to buy insurance - it’s that simple. She took a risk and failed.

And stop being concerned about her loosing her job! She wasn't concerned when she decided to drive dangerously with no insurance. She wasn't concerned about damaging other cars or people.

Sadly that is not your problem . If she needs to drive the car for work it should be insured for the purpose. She won't lose her licence but may get points and fine. Do you have uninsured driver loss on your policy. Make the claim, report to police and insurance can chase her if needs be.

Call your insurance company, give them your criminal colleague’s details, tell them that you believe she’s driving uninsured and then do the same with the police.

You contact your insurance company.

No.

Driving uninsured (and dangerously) is not acceptable. Insurance and police.

You’re going to have to be very matter of fact with her. Unless she can pay up (and in extremis perhaps a family member can help her out; presumably there is damage on her car too) then insurance is your only option - they’ll sort it.

You absolutely have to do what's right for you. You contact your insurance and let them take it from there. She's a grown up, she needs to take responsibility.

That won't help. It will show if the car is insured, not specific drivers.

OP just give her info to your insurer and let them get on with it. What happens next really isn't your problem.

Well, yes. She should have already called her insurance and the police but the OP doesnt seem to want to. Which is why I suggested giving her the opportunity to just pay for it with the knowledge that if she doesnt then it will go further.

Although, I doubt the OP will. She is probably going to end up paying for it herself as I dont understand what advice she wants.

Sadly I think that you are probably right.