Car accident - wasn’t our fault advice

[Purpletaco]

So my partner used my car last week as his was in the garage (he has a policy where he can drive any car with owner permission) which he did. The accident was a work van going into the side of him on the island, they have admitted full responsibility. The man’s boss contacted my partner the day of the incident and has sent the email he sent to there insurance company where they have stated what happened and admitted it was their fault etc. It has been a week and my partner hasn’t received any contact from there insurance, he has emailed the worker and they have responded there on holiday and have him the lady’s email who is dealing with this he has emailed her and she is out of office to the end of the month.. Is it normally a long process? Does it happen to be longer if jts a work company insurance? As my partner has his car but even though I still have my car all my side is really badly dented snd jts where my child would be sitting and I don’t feel safe driving the car now it’s been in an accident as I have 2 young children who I have had to replace car seats already but currently I’m having to get taxis / buses ect. The whole situation is just very stressful to be in and im unsure what to do. Is it just a waiting game. Any advice
TIA

Just to mention I did phone my insurance and they said they can deal with it or my partners but would be best for my partner as he was involved so he did phone his insurance and sent them over the pictures and dash cam footage/witness but they still are waiting to hear back off them too.

You can ring your insurance company for advice.

They will probably tell you to get your vehicle in for repairs and give you a list of authorised repairers.

The process of blame/claim can take awhile but repairs should be underway, with insurer approval, fairly quickly.

I wouldn't expect to hear from the other insurance company, you need to be speaking to whichever insurance company you are using (yours or your husband's) for next steps to get yours repaired

Surely the other party's insurers should be only dealing with whoever insures your vehicle, not directly with you? I don't see what contact you would usually have with them. I certainly didn't when I had an accident.

@Darragon
neither of us have ever been in an accident before so we honestly have no idea what to do. The other drivers boss is the one who contacted my husband and said they have done all the paperwork and statement snd there insurance will be in contact with my husband within a week but it’s been a week and nothing.. My husband has phoned his insurance the other day and they have said they are just waiting but they haven’t mentioned getting the car fixed they mentioned something about their insurance taking the car away and doing a report and it most likely could be write off.. so im just lost

I wouldnt expect to hear much for now. It's all been handed to insurance let them handle it, they'll contact you when they need to.

The only contact I had with my insurance company when I was hit was

• to arrange collection of my car to repair
• to arrange delivery of courtesy vehicle
• to provide my verbal and written statements
• to arrange delivery of my car
• to arrange collection of the hire car

All of that was over a period of 3 months or so.

And then a year later a call to discuss going to court as the 3rd partys insurance were still fighting for 50/50 responsibility when the 3rd party drove straight into my nearside back corner as I exited and they entered a roundabout.

You can deal directly with their insurer, as long as you informed your/ DP insurer about the accident.

There are advantages to this too. We did and got a bigger payout for our written off car than we had paid for it about a year earlier. They paid for the courtesy vehicle and quuckly reimbursed expenses such as car seat replacement. No excess to pay (although this should have been recoverable anyway).

The courtesy car aspect was important, as many insurers pass you on to a claims management company, who charge a fortune for the vehicle which isn't always recoverable from the 3rd party. (There is lots on this in the press and even on MN.)

The problem here seems to be people on annual leave. Have they told you who the insurer is so you can contact them directly? Or can your insurer advise you who they are?

@CatsorDogsrule
i have contacted the company and asked for the full name of the insurance company so I can call them directly due to the women being on leave.

I have phoned my insurance and because my partner was driving my car she said it’s down to third party to give me a courtesy car or not and that it has nothing to do with them as my partner was driving and his contacted his insurance. Which I get but what I’m confused by all of this is that my partner was driving my car but it’s my car but it seems as if it’s just between him and everyone else and nothing to do with me. If that makes sense? He is currently at work and will be phoning his insurance when he finishes for some more advice, but he’s insurance runs out the end of this month and he has found a cheaper quote elsewhere. What will happen with this claim? Will they still deal with it (Sorry if it sounds silly just really confused by it all)

Is your husband only covered 3rd party when driving your car? That's probably why your insurance isn't v interested?

This. It’s on him to sort it out. There’s no insurance cover on your side. (This is very short sighted - if the other driver hadn’t been insured you’d be up shit creek.)

Partner or husband? You’ve referred to him as both but it does make a difference legally. Usually driving other cars doesn’t cover your spouse’s car.

And for future get each other put on your insurance as a named driver - that way you can both be fully covered.

Husband, he has Comprehensive
on his car and on his policy he has he can drive anyone’s car with owners permission he phoned his insurance and they have confirmed that he has done nothing wrong and that the other van is at fault and they have took full responsibility.

@thetooththewholetooth we will do thank you normally he doesn’t use my car and I don’t use his. It was just a one off as his had to go into the garage.

The comprehensive cover won’t extend to driving anyone else’s car though. That will be third party only (ie no cover by his insurer for any damage to your car).

who is the insurer?

https://www.admiral.com/magazine/guides/motor/driving-other-cars-myth-buster

They won’t offer comp cover on other people’s cars because you could pay £250 to insure a banger then drive someone else’s Range Rover/Lambo/Ferrari and they would be liable for any damage.

@AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti
esure
& what does that mean then? Sorry for all the questions.

You don't do anything but let your insurance know of the accident you sure don't deal with the other party that's what the insurance staff are for to sort everything. Then your always covered legally not he said she said

And, often, if you want to drive your partner or spouse’s car, the DOC extension might not apply at all. Instead, you’ll need to be a named driver on their policy or have a family or any driver car insurance policy.

www.caranalytics.co.uk/guides/an-insurance-guide-to-drive/

It means that he'll only be insured to drive your car third party. His insurance would only pay out to fix someone elses car if he was at fault. They won't pay to fix your car (even if it's not his fault). He'll need to claim from the other drivers insurance.

Not if you're only covered third party. Her insurance has no liability

We made this wrong assumption too, but with most (if not all) UK insurers, the 3rd Party Cover for other vehicles does not include cars that you have regular access to, such as a spouse's. You should check the fine print or specifically ask them to be sure.

The claim I mentioned above was in fact my car, that my DH was driving, thinking he was covered 3rd Party on his comprehensive policy. He wasn't, as we lived together/ were married! Thankfully, it was the other driver's fault (rear-ended him on motorway), so their insurer covered it all and didn't question his coverage.

We now make sure to have each other as named drivers on each other's policy. Adding each other actually brings down the quote, so absolutely worthwhile!

It’s Third Party Only cover. They don’t exclude spouse’s cars.

So esure won’t pay anything for your car’s damage. You’ll have to claim it from the other person’s insurer directly.

Had the accident happened the other way around esure would pay for the van damage but nothing in relation to your car.

Your husband needs to tell esure and the new insurer about the accident regardless.

The company’s insurance who was at fault isn’t it their responsibility to fix my car then? We have dash cam footage and witnesses to prove it was their fault?

Here’s esure’s wording.

Ok thank you, he has already told his insurance it will just be a waiting game now.
thankyou to everyone who has commented