Car accident - who was wrong?

[WhooooAmI24601]

I was parked up in a supermarket carpark today. Reversed slowly out of my space, checked over my left shoulder, nothing there. Reversed and as I turned my head back over my left shoulder a gentleman in a silver car shot around the corner and straight into the left hand rear of my car.

We're both fine, no real harm aside from dents in both cars, but mine is less damaged than his. Swap details, I take photos of the damage (which he objects to) and leave it there agreeing to speak once we've priced up repairs. He admitted no liability, nor did I. He's just phoned to say his car will be £300 to repair but if he goes through his insurance they'll write it off (his car has dings and dents all around the other sides). I pointed out that if I'm paying for his car to be repaired he'd better be willing to repair mine, he says at his age he can't afford £300 so I'm going to have to pay. I refused and said he was going much too fast around the corner.

The chap got quite worked up and shouted that as a pensioner he has no income and that either I pay him £300 or he'll take it to the police and insurance companies and I'll end up paying more.

What do I do?

You contact your insurance company and disengage from this man.

Go through your insurance company. Don't contact him directly any further.

Take it through insurance. chances are they'll decide 50/50 but worth a go

Any CCTV which might have caught it?

Report it to your insurance company, let them deal with it. Don't be bullied.

Stand your ground of course, he's a chancer using the age card using the poor old man excuse. He's at fault for going so fast round the corner, as it was safe when you started the manoeuvre and you couldn't have done anything anyway even once you noticed him speeding toward you.

Let him go to insurance to sort it if he likes and you can afford the hassle and stress.

Ring your insurers and let them deal with it (and him).

Report it to your insurance company and don't talk to him again. Rude man.

Insurance.

He knows he was at fault and is trying to keep his premiums down/hide his poor driving ability.

Go through your insurance. Likely that you will be found at fault as you were reversing.

Just stop taking to him and go through insurance.

*talking

Contact your insurance company and let them deal. He could take your cash and then use it as the basis for a compensation claim, stating it's an admission you were at fault.

Stand your ground. Just because he is a pensioner does not excuse his rubbish driving or his liability to pay. He should been driving slowly enough in a car park to stop if he saw a car reversing from a space. He went into the side of you. Hands down it his fault.

Rubbish Welsh how was op at fault?

Insurance ... it will probably go 50/50 as it's in a car park. If you can get cctv it may help your case. Contact insurance asap.

Welsh That's what I'm worried about, is it automatically the person reversing at fault?

I'm on the phone now to the insurers and feel awful because he was adamant he couldn't go through his insurance. I'd be feeling far less guilty if he hadn't been so old, poor chap.

I'd have thought 50/50. He has as much responsibility as you do to look where he is going and avoid obstructions in his path, as much as you do.
If he is driving with such little awareness that cars are likely to be reversing in a car park and therefore doesn't moderate his speed, he shouldn't be driving. He could have hit a child.

I asked at Aldi and the point in the carpark where it happened isn't covered by CCTV, so no joy there. A woman who was unloading her shopping came over and passed me her details to say she'd be a witness that he was driving too fast, but he shouted at her and she left pretty sharpish so I assumed he was in shock and left as quickly as possible.

Phone an accident company eg Accident Exchange first, not your insurers. Tell them exactly what has happened as it doesn't sound like your fault. If they regard it as his fault, then they will deal with everything and put you in a hire car FOC whilst yours is repaired and then claim all costs from his insurers and you won't have to claim on your insurers or shell out. Obviously this depends on it being not your fault but they will take a view on it. It sounds to me as though he was at fault shooting round the corner. Worth a try and if successful won't affect NCD. I recently had a no fault accident and was recommended to use them.

You'll struggle to prove that he was going too fast. Unfortunately, as the reversing car, he onus is on you to keep a look out. You need to report any accident to your insurers, regardless of whether you make a claim.

What's your excess? If you want to get your car repaired and the excess is less than £300 then that'd be more economical in the short term anyway. There will be an increase in your premium next year, but insurance has been rising across the board anyway.

You should have taken photos of the accident, the position of cars and of hte damage.

Whilst it is fresh in your mind take snap shot from google maps and draw in the position of the cars.

Also tell you ins co that he's been intimidating you

Old doesn't always = poor. He could be trying it on. My mum's friends have way more disposable income than many young families

He is trying it on, it's bluster - go through your insurer. Glad you got pictures, any witnesses?
Good idea ^^ about cctv, worth asking the store.

Disengage from the man and take it through insurance. If he contacts again just keep telling him to speak to the insurance company.

With no proof he was speeding really the best will be a 50-50