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Original poster

Went into a back of a car this morning...help

54 replies

lalalalalala123 · 16/03/2023 14:30

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on. I went into the back of her I was also stationery before this so not at great speed - I know I am at fault. There was barely any damage to her car (took photo), a tiny panel on the back looked like it had very slightly popped out, but nothing more. My car came off worse with a smashed numberplate and silver trim at front cracked off. We exchanged details, her mom has just left a voicemail to say they've took it to a garage and the bumpers been damaged and theres paint and scuff marks so shes asked me for a call back so she can talk through the quote or she will just go through insurance....what would you do in this circumstance?! I'm shocked as there was no damage to her bumper that I could see or can see now in the photo and no scratches either...how do I know shes being legit. I'm so stressed I have NO money to pay for this but I guess I'll have to suck it up...

OP posts:

zurala · 16/03/2023 14:32

Go through insurance. Always.

QforCucumber · 16/03/2023 14:32

let it go through insurance - not worth worrying over.

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:32

Money to pay for it? Use your insurance. They won't care about the inflated claim, they'll just cough up (bitter experience).

HangerLaneGyratorySystem · 16/03/2023 14:34

Yeah they will just pay out regardless; go through insurance. No harm in trying to go for 50:50 fault - do you have NCB?

TheFlis12345 · 16/03/2023 14:34

I did the exact same thing once. Turns out despite the apparent lack of damage it had actually done internal damage to the other persons car and it cost a lot to fix (over £2k). And no, it wasn’t a scam, mortifyingly I knew the person in front very well. Go through your insurance.

GoodChat · 16/03/2023 14:36

HangerLaneGyratorySystem · 16/03/2023 14:34

Yeah they will just pay out regardless; go through insurance. No harm in trying to go for 50:50 fault - do you have NCB?

She's not getting 50:50 when she drove into the back of someone.

Go through insurance OP. You're protected then.

loudbatperson · 16/03/2023 14:36

Her being a new driver and not having P plates on doesn't really have anything to do with it.

Just pass it onto your insurers and let them deal with it.

Clymene · 16/03/2023 14:37

HangerLaneGyratorySystem · 16/03/2023 14:34

Yeah they will just pay out regardless; go through insurance. No harm in trying to go for 50:50 fault - do you have NCB?

Yes there is harm - it will affect the other driver. The OP is at fault. All the guff beforehand about the other driver being new etc is irrelevant. She went into the back of someone, it's her fault.

Dartmoorcheffy · 16/03/2023 14:37

Go through insurance or ask for a second opinion from another bodyshop.

If a panel has popped out then its likely there is damage to the rear bumper.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 16/03/2023 14:38

I had this happen to me a few years ago, bumper looked fine, barely any scuffing but when I got home and opened the boot I couldn't close it again. Turned out the plastic bumper had just bent and bounced back but the internal stuff had buckled and pushed in by about an inch so when I was trying to close the boot it couldn't reach the latch. Car was written off because it would have cost more than it was worth to fix.

Clymene · 16/03/2023 14:39

And go through your insurance. That's what it's there for.

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:42

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on.

Was there a witness? You may be able to convince your insurance company that it was a crash for cash. New drivers can be a bit unpredictable, which is why many DO have P plates, of course.

TheFairyCaravan · 16/03/2023 14:45

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:42

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on.

Was there a witness? You may be able to convince your insurance company that it was a crash for cash. New drivers can be a bit unpredictable, which is why many DO have P plates, of course.

Why would you do that? OP is at fault. She went into the back of the car in front so just needs to call her insurance company and let them deal with it.

Christ, there’s some really immoral people about.

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:49

Because people suddenly braking hard at roundabouts and junctions, then claiming far more than any damage is actually worth is a well known criminal scam.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 16/03/2023 14:51

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:42

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on.

Was there a witness? You may be able to convince your insurance company that it was a crash for cash. New drivers can be a bit unpredictable, which is why many DO have P plates, of course.

So if you were to crash into a teenager (or anyone) because you weren't paying attention and hadn't left yourself enough space to stop, your first reaction would be "how can I fuck them over even more by trying to put the blame on them". Aren't you a delight.

Mentalpiece · 16/03/2023 14:51

Go through your insurance op.
Someone once rear ended me on a roundabout, causing slight damage to my car.
We exchanged insurance details and they dealt with it, everyone was happy.
The lady who hit me was very apologetic and pleasant, I actually felt sorry for her.

Crunchingleaf · 16/03/2023 14:52

Someone hit the back of me a couple months ago. Damage looked superficial but the bumper is designed to take the impact and then can pop back out after the impact. Plus there was damage to a bar underneath the car too. The other driver’s insurance is paying out over 2k for it all.

RNLD1981 · 16/03/2023 14:52

Go through the insurance. Don't ask her to get a second quote or mess her about. If she gets pissed off with you, she may suddenly decide her neck hurts.

Bearpawk · 16/03/2023 14:53

Insurance definitely

Mentalpiece · 16/03/2023 14:54

SinnerBoy · 16/03/2023 14:42

Car stationery in front had a newly qualified driver in but no P plates, junction was clear , she went to go but then for some unknown reason slammed her brakes on.

Was there a witness? You may be able to convince your insurance company that it was a crash for cash. New drivers can be a bit unpredictable, which is why many DO have P plates, of course.

What? You would seriously accuse someone of committing a crime to get out of being blamed for your own incompetence? Really?
Jesus wept!!

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 16/03/2023 14:58

Actually it might not be your fault. I certainly wouldn't be accepting the blame.

Cases have gone to court when people have broke hard to avoid an animal and it has been the person that broke that was judged to be at fault.

DeltaAlphaDelta79 · 16/03/2023 15:12

RNLD1981 · 16/03/2023 14:52

Go through the insurance. Don't ask her to get a second quote or mess her about. If she gets pissed off with you, she may suddenly decide her neck hurts.

Agree with this. I recently left my old employer where I spent over 10 years as an insurance claims fraud investigator.

Well done for having the thought of taking a photo, you'd be surprised how many people don't bother especially with a seemingly minor accident with little to no damage.

Let your insurance deal with it, its what you pay them for. You might just have to accept increased premiums for a while, especially while they deal with it, but well worth it in the long run.

Ellie56 · 16/03/2023 15:16

Someone reversed into me in a carpark. What looked like very superficial damage (a scratch) actually turned out to be a lot worse than it looked. The assessor pointed out the damage to the grill, the crack underneath the bumper and the trim which had been shunted out of line. I hadn't noticed any of these.

I would recommend you get your own car looked at as well.

NillyNoMates · 16/03/2023 15:16

Go through insurance. I had a similar experience years ago, and it ended up being their fault for slamming the brakes on for no reason. Speak to your insurance company now, and don’t contact the other person yourself.

MandyMotherOfBrian · 16/03/2023 15:19

Just because you can’t see the damage doesn’t mean it’s not there. I came back to my car parked in a supermarket car park and only just about noticed the rear bumper looked like it had popped out on one side. Garage said it must actually have been hot quite hard and it wasn’t a simple case of popping it back it in as I’d hoped it would be - body shop are friends of mine so definitely not doing unnecessary work. Definitely don’t agree to do it outside of insurance though.

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