Insurance - someone hit our car

[skyblu]

Just need some advice as to what the next step is.

Man was employed by a tradesman that we had employed, to remove some waste from our house & take to the tip.
When the guy arrived, the road was busy and he had to reverse his car with trailer up onto our grass, to get out of the way whilst he loaded the rubbish into the trailer.

As he pulled off, I saw him hit our car (he was very close & car wobbled. Husband went running out and sure enough, scrapes & damage all down front side.
We told the tradesman who had 'employed' him to do the job. He wasn't that interested & gave us the guys number. Husband phoned him immediately and said what had happened. Guy didn't deny it, apologised & said he hadn't realised & told husband to get repair quotes and he'd sort it.
Husband took pics & got 2 quotes, both in region of £800 and sent all to the guy.
From this point, everything took place on email:
The guy said at that price it would have to go through insurance. He gave us his full name & address and his insurance details.

We rang & logged it with them. They said they'd need to contact him. It's been several weeks and no one can get hold of him. He is no longer responding to our emails. He hasn't responded to his insurance company.

His insurance company is not a high-street or well known one - its a nightmare to reach them & it feels like they haven't got clue what's going on.

What is our next step? Should we involve the law? We just don't know what to do next to get some traction & get our car fixed (we want to sell it, but can't like this!)

Don't want to claim on our insurance, why should we.

Any advice?

As you have evidence (emails) it should go through your insurance as no fault on your part. I'd call them and see what they say. When I got supermarket sweeped last year we had similar issues and my insurance company did the chasing with the other side.

involve your insurance.
that's what they are for.

we had similar last year and our premium didn't go up.

Ok thanks, maybe will tell our insurance company then and let them handle it.

I should have said, we did call them originally but we said we didn't want to claim on our insurance so they told us we'd probably be best going direct to his...

But now he has gone 'off the radar' we are wondering if he's realised he's perhaps not insured to have a trailer on (or be working using it?) In which case, it would land up on our insurance...

So annoying!

But now he has gone 'off the radar' we are wondering if he's realised he's perhaps not insured to have a trailer on (or be working using it?) In which case, it would land up on our insurance...

The law says you can still claim on his insurance. If he's done something to invalidate it that means they can recover it all from him. That's how compulsory motor insurance works.

Who is the insurer?

Just to close this off / His insurer came back to us and said they will fully repair our car, accepted the quote that we'd had done and happy for us to go there as local & least inconvenience to us. They'll cover cost directly with the garage. They have also organised & paid for a hire car for us for the duration of the repair.
They still haven't got hold of the guy...he seems to have gone underground....but they said they'd take it up with him separately.
He's a fool. It will bite him on the backside now, when he could've just dealt with it.

Thanks for your comments & advise