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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to hope this money grabbing cow doesn't get a penny?

43 replies

sammy19 · 18/10/2014 20:26

In July, my dad had a hire car while his own car was being repaired (it was given to him by his insurance company after a postman drove into the side of his car while it was parked outside his house.) He was not used to the car and while stationary at traffic lights, he went to put his handbrake on but didn't pull it up enough. He rolled forward slightly and tapped the bumper of the car in front but the impact was hardly felt - he put the brake on as soon as he realised. I was in the car too and so was my DM.

The car in front was being driven by a young woman (about 27) and she had 3 female friends in there too. They all got out, laughing about it, said that they thought the car had stalled at first and she said not to worry. I took pictures of the scratch on her bumper because I had an uneasy feeling. My dad reported it to his insurance company, months went by and they gave the processing fee back as they said a claim hadn't been made.

So imagine his surprise this morning when a letter turns up in the post saying that the third party is now claiming personal injury and our insurance company would like to dispute it so are requesting more information.

I am livid. There is no way that she (or any of her passengers) had an injury from this. My poor dad is having a crap time at the moment too. He has recently developed chronic back pain, his father has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and now this. Just sick of people being so selfish and greedy. After 3 months had passed, I thought this person was honest. I hope she doesn't get anything and our insurance company win the dispute, but I doubt that will happen.

OP posts:

mummypig14 · 18/10/2014 20:28

I used to work in an insurance company call centre. It infuriates me!!!

So much stress for your dad!

RaisingMen · 18/10/2014 20:34

She's unlikely to get anything unless she sought medical assistance straight after the accident/took time off work/made the claim soon after the accident. People like this infuriate me! Hope you're dad is ok.

RaisingMen · 18/10/2014 20:34

ZenNudist · 18/10/2014 20:34

There's no need to get so wound up on your df's behalf. I'm sorry about his illness but it's not very relevant to the situation. He pays insurance so this doesn't affect him.

Otoh I agree its wrong to claim compo for this and many other minor accidents. It affects everyone's insurance premiums.

I had a prang when the car in front stopped suddenly and the car behind me rear ended me . I was unhurt but got endless calls from personal injury law firms trying to get me to claim compo. I didn't.

I've also had stern words with my dbro for claiming in a minor accident. He reckoned it was fair game, but he's an idiot.

offtoseethewizard64 · 18/10/2014 20:38

She's probably had one of those texts/phone calls from a company asking her about her recent accident. (I've had a few of them even though I hadn't had an accident - they are chancers) As luck (for the company) would have it, she had actually had an accident and probably thought she would discuss it with them and see what happens. They have no doubt told her she has whiplash and could get thousands. Hopefully your Dad's insurance company will gather the evidence from you all and tell them to 'do one'

5Foot5 · 18/10/2014 20:38

We frequently have telephone calls from people who start by saying they are calling about the accident we had recently. None of us have been involved in an accident for years so these chancers are just despicable ambulance chasers who presumably figure that if they make enough calls they will find people who have been involved in something and are unscrupulous enough to go along with the scam if they think they might make a few quid from it.

Possibly this is what happened with the young woman now trying to claim. Someone dangled the opportunity of something for nothing and she couldn't resist.

It is good the insurance company are disputing it. I hate this sort of thing.

extremepie · 18/10/2014 20:39

I keep getting texts from various companies offering me £xxxx amount of money for 'that accident you had'. I don't drive and have never had any other kind of accident so I don't know what they're on about!

I'm half tempted to say 'Ok then, give me the cash' and when they ask about the 'accident I had' say 'well, I haven't had one but you keep offering me money....'

Maybe she's had companies phoning her saying they can get her compensation too? She still shouldn't try it on since she wasn't actually injured so YANBU :)

Pepperwitheverything · 18/10/2014 20:41

Call the police every time there is an accident. My dad was caught....a woman crashed into him with her five children in the car all unseatbelted. She BEGGED him to be understanding...tears and everything. Dad is a lovely man, so said ok, and he is also a mechanic so he fixed her car for her and only asked for £50 per month for four months to be paid towards his car. She came the first month and said 'look at the size of your house, you don't need this money!!'.....and vanished!!

My mum and dad have a big house because MUM inherited it...but they are on a state pension and are cash poor. People out there take the pish.

I doubt this chancer will get anywhere....stand your groud!

raltheraffe · 18/10/2014 20:43

I agree, hope the money grabbing cow gets nothing.

LiquidCosh · 18/10/2014 20:54

YANBU same thing happened to DP. There was obviously nothing wrong with the lady in question as it was a very minor bump with no damage done to our car and only a tiny scratch on hers. We heard nothing for months so assumed everything was okay however a few months later an accident investigator called out to question us.
Infuriatingly our insurance company admitted liability and she ended up getting £7500!!
I was really angry as our premiums went up at the next renewal but now I just think that what goes around comes around and she will probably have the same thing done to her.
The funny thing was DP said straight after the accident that he didn't think she would claim as she was very middle class and well spoken!

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 18/10/2014 21:03

My XH rear ended some very dodgy guys at 1am once. They first tried to intimidate him into handing over cash, then when he called the police they tried to say he was drunk or high. Nobody mentioned being injured. The claim came through for a different guy as the driver (X took a pic of the driver's licence plus he kept the police note) then claimed that he had various injuries. Thankfully and very satisfyingly his character was destroyed in the court reopen, he was on probation for drug dealing and all sorts, plus the driver wasn't insured, hence why they switched the names...
Mine had to pay for the repairs of course and rightlyso, and it made no difference to my loss of no claims bonus but I was so bloody glad they didn't get any personal injury comp.

ReadyToBreak · 18/10/2014 21:03

you don't need to call the police every time you have an accident, pepper

PolterGoose · 18/10/2014 21:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AnneElliott · 18/10/2014 21:12

That is crap of her, but hopefully the insurance company will see through it.
I had a small bump the other day (car went into me). I was amazed at the companies that called me afterwards promising this and that.
One said "I shouldn't tell you this, but the other side have put £6k aside for you, all you have to do is say you were injured". He got off the phone quickly when I enquired which body regulated the company he worked for....

Titsalinabumsquash · 18/10/2014 21:13

I've had this! We really do live in a compensation culture.

I rear ended a learner on her lessons, barely a scratch in either car, we laughed about it at the time and the instructor of the car let us settle out of insurance through our own mechanic to remove a tiny scratch/dent out his bumper.

I know the (student) girl driving, she lived with her parents down the same road as me.
I got a call several months after the accident saying she was claiming personally injury for whiplash, as I took the call she jogged past my front window as she did every morning yet here I was being told of the long term neck and back trauma she'd sustained

They requested that she pay for a private medical examination and report in order to pursue the claim and funnily enough she dropped it. However, it still caused weeks of stress and worry just because she wanted a few grand compensation out of me.

honeysucklejasmine · 18/10/2014 21:25

This happened to me except my insurance company didn't tell me they were claiming and so i couldn't dispute it. Of course the company didn't give a shit and just paid them! I was not impressed and i told them so. There wasn't a scratch on the car in question. Injury my ass.

Pepperwitheverything · 18/10/2014 21:26

Again stress...ALWAYS call the peelers in an accident.

Caboodle · 18/10/2014 21:33

I was a witness in a 'smash for cash' (I had no idea this existed until I saw it happen); can I please let you all know to take the following photos at ANY car accident...

Obv your car and other vehicles involved
Any passengers in either vehicle (inc yours)
Any witnesses
The surrounding area throughout any discussion you are having....this is because apparently witnesses 'appear' ...if you have lots of photos from start to finish and none show these 'witnesses' they are less likely to be believed.
And if you suspect anything dodgy let the police know....they are unlikely to come out but at least you were the first to report.

As for OP...you def ANBU...but you must not worry and your Dad must try not to...this is for the insurance company to sort.

Floralnomad · 18/10/2014 21:34

pepper ,my sister has had two accidents in 2 years on the M25 and on both occasions the police have refused to attend ,so calling the police is not always the answer.

honeysucklejasmine · 18/10/2014 21:37

Pepper the police did happen to stop as we waited at the roadside for her husband. Which i would have told my insurance company if the bloody bastards had told me they were claiming.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/10/2014 21:37

ReadyToBreak... Yes, you do need to call the police if you have an accident.

I was recently involved in an incident with a council vehicle that was driving on the wrong side of the road, saw me too late, swerved over and hit a car. I hadn't hit anything at all. Took down the relevant vehicle registrations and drove off to my meeting. After my meeting, rang the council who said that the police had been called and they wanted my number. Told them to give it to them and the police said that I should have waited for them. Told them that I wasn't the one who had had an accident and wasn't trying to evade them. Council driver tried to blame me for the accident.

So please don't suggest that you don't contact the police in the event of an accident, it's in the Highway Code and even if you're not directly involved, you need to contact them.

raltheraffe · 18/10/2014 21:41

I was very nearly in a cash for crash. I was doing 60 mph on a single carriageway road with one car in front. Car in front slammed brakes on for no reason and I nearly hit it. I went home confused and then someone told me the road it had happened on was a hotspot for cash for crash as there is no CCTV on there.
It is scary to think someone would deliberately engineer a crash to make money. Bizarre really as if it went badly wrong someone could be killed.
I think ambulance chasing lawyers have a lot to answer for.

ReadyToBreak · 18/10/2014 21:42

Actually, I suggest you research section 170 of the RTA 1988 and learn when you do need to report an accident; note this does not necessarily mean call the police to the scene.

This is my bread and butter love, so please don't tell me you must call the police to every accident.

Caboodle · 18/10/2014 21:50

No - see I would call the police and let them decide if they want to attend; I would not decide myself if an accident justifies the call, especially when I am probably still shaking because of the shock of the accident.
And I don't mean 999...local station will do.
I was told this by (very recently) ex-CID whose job it now was to investigate possible smash for cash accidents.

ReadyToBreak · 18/10/2014 21:52

*Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 imposes obligations on drivers of mechanically propelled vehicles who are involved in road accidents. It states:-
170(1) If, owing to the presence of a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place an accident occurs whereby-

(a) personal injury is caused to a person other than the driver of that mechanically propelled vehicle, OR
(b) damage is caused-

(i) to a vehicle other than that mechanically propelled vehicle or a trailer drawn by that mechanically propelled vehicle, OR
(ii) to an animal other than an animal in or on that mechanically propelled vehicle or a trailer drawn by that mechanically propelled vehicle, OR
(iii) to any other property constructed on, fixed to, growing in or otherwise forming part of the land on which the road or place in question is situated or land adjacent to such land.

170(2) The driver of the mechanically propelled vehicle must stop and, if required to do so by any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring, give his name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle.

170(3) If for any reason the driver of the mechanically propelled vehicle does not give his name and address under subsection (2) above, he must report the accident.

170(4) A person who fails to comply with the above requirements is guilty of an offence. *

There is no requirement to report an accident if both parties have exchanged details.

Police only need attend if there are injuries or public order issues (eg drivers assaulting each other) or the road is blocked.

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