To get my neighbour to repair my car through her insurance?

[JillBob]

Long story short, my elderly neighbour has managed to crash into the side of my parked car and taken off the wing mirror and scratched the driver side door and wing.

She came around to apologise with her son in tow and when I asked if it was going through insurance she said she would rather pay for the damage.

Before she came round I was adamant that it would go through her insurance but on hearing her explanation it sounds like her husband is currently in hospital and she was rushing there. Hence the crash…

I’ve wasted all today trying to get quotes with very little success other than one from a BMW dealership for at least £1500. I can’t drive the car anywhere as it has no wing mirror and if I’m honest I haven’t got the time to be running around trying to get my car fixed when trying to hold down a full time job and sorting kids.

I also need a car to get me to and from work which I obviously won’t have if it doesn’t go through the insurance.

AIBU to go round and tell her it needs to go through her insurance?

Ours was hit on boxing day, rang our insurance and because we weren't in it at the time we went through the 'not at fault' claim they have, they contact the other party & put us through to the dept that organises the repair. Ours was drivable just a bit battered so it took 2 months before it even went in & 2 weeks to fix.

I let my insurers know the day after the damage and let them know that initially my neighbour wants to settle outside her insurance. I did think that maybe she does think it will be a couple of hundred quid so mentioned that to my insurers too and their could be a potential claim on her insurance

@BattledoreAndShuttlecock

The fact that she's elderly and she as visiting her husband in hospital has no bearing whatsoever on whether you should go through insurance. It should be much easier and less stress for her to go through insurance, and once she realises how much it's going to cost she should realise that.

However I can understand from OP's side that it feels mean to push it at this time. I was a witness to an accident where an elderly gentleman hit a car on the side, careered over the wrong side of a roundabout and stopped firmly against a sign. I stood in front of the car as he showed signs of driving off, and he shortly had an indignant group round him. He then told us that he'd had a call saying his wife had only a short time left to live and he was dashing to the hospital to see her one last time. Everyone's anger fell away, including the person whose car had been badly damaged, and when the police appeared, we were far more concerned with getting him (safely) to hospital than dealing with the accident.

I did phone the hospital once he'd gone and asked them to send a doctor round to check on him when he'd arrived.

However I did also do a witness statement for the person who was hit for their insurance where I was clear that it was his fault-as the gentleman in question had told me to say.

So I can totally understand Op's reluctance to go round and demand at the moment. However that doesn't let the other person off paying.

OP, why don't you pop a note through the door, saying that you hope her dh gets better soon, and say that you do need a car asap so would she mind going through insurance as it will be easier (and cheaper almost certainly) for both of you.

MargaretThursday

Then it makes more sense to use the insurance, saves the brig our all the hassle of dealing with several companies to look at quotes arrange payment arrange a hire car etc

That’s why you pay insurance companies, to do the leg work.

[quote Badbadbunny]@skodadoda

Or, if she wants to pay for the damage herself, she can. She can’t be forced to claim on her insurance, but she must tell them about the incident.

It's not her choice, it's not her car. The OP can choose to claim via her insurers who WILL claim against the neighbour's insurance, whether neighbour likes it or not. Only if it were the neighbour's car would she have the choice to repair her own car herself or claim for her own car.[/quote]
👍 I think that’s what I was attempting to say in a muddled sort of way 🤔

I made the mistake of trying to be kind to someone who hit my car in a car park in December and said they could pay private
Now nearly April and I’m going through insurance and taking them to small claims court for extra expenses and inconvenience they are now claiming I hit them!
Thankfully I have screenshots of all their messages originally apologising and admitting liability

Definitely go through your insurance!