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Original poster

Police letter after accident HELP!

135 replies

Iwa80 · 09/08/2018 14:50

Hi all,

Sorry please help.
A few weeks ago I was driving in heavy traffic, and a car infront of me didn't move forward on a green light but instead reversed and I didn't stop in time. I very lightly possibly clipped the bumper but not 100% certain. The lady in front told me to drive to a side street to assess any damage. We looked and I saw there was a hairline gap on one side of a otherwise fully detached bumper.
Anyway my English isn't very good (someone else writing this thread for me) and I told her to wait for my husband to sort it out. I just gave her my name.

Moments later my husband driving nearby came. As he's the main policyholder, was not in a particularly good mood. We both felt (my husband and I) that we were being swindled by an opportunist claimer.

My husband ordered me to leave, and since i had my small child age 5 who was desperately needing the toilet and wanted to go home I left everything in the hand of my husband. I thought he'd sort it out. I then saw both the lady and my husband were arguing and left the scene. Moments later I rang my husband to ask did he leave her my details. He said no, and then he went straight back to the scene moments later after he'd left too, about 5 mins after me, and found her and gave her our full details.

However in the midst of us leaving the scene she managed to call the police. However in front of the police who were listening on the phone while the call was still live, they heard and therefore witnessed a full exchange of details.

It was never my intention to leave without giving details and because of the pressures of my child, my husbands temper and my broken English I left it to my husband. I am annoyed that he was moronic enough to leave without giving her anything but at least he did go back.

However I have received a letter from the police investigating, and trying to apply 'driving with due care, not stopping at scene, not reporting accident'.... none of which is true because we did stop, exchange details and i reported later to my insurance that evening. With the driving, I am adamant I hardly touched her car.

Incidentally our suspicions were confirmed and the lady has claimed WHIPLASH' from my insurance. The damage to her car was so minimal at speeds of just 2-5mph and looked like it had been done somewhere else. You would have to look hard at her bumper to notice it had been damaged, and the car was a 12 year old Kia Rio, one of the smallest cheapest cars to drive.

I am petrified that despite exchanging details in the end I will still get 6 points on my licence and an extra fine I cannot afford, all because an opportunist wants to ruin our life as much as possible.

Can anyone please advise?

OP posts:
FrancisCrawford · 09/08/2018 16:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hercules12 · 09/08/2018 16:41

The op never went back.

FuckPants · 09/08/2018 16:41

Actually OP never went back...

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 09/08/2018 16:42

You, the driver, left the scene without giving details. Your aggressive and argumentative husband left the scene without giving details.
The poor girl whose car has been hit (because of you) had no choice but to phone the police regardless of your husband later coming back.
What do you not get about that?

purplecorkheart · 09/08/2018 16:42

You left the scene on the order of your husband. It does not matter that your husband eventually gave the details. Your husband was not involved in the accident and was not driving at the time.

You did leave the scene only giving the other driver your name. The fact that your husband (who sounds horrible) gave the other (probably scared driver the details does not change the fact that you the driver left the scene without giving full details.

snowbear66 · 09/08/2018 16:43

This seems like it might be the husband posting?

Saucery · 09/08/2018 16:43

Would an ‘opportunist’ even be inclined to phone the police?

TooTrueToBeGood · 09/08/2018 16:43

yes by a fraction of 2 minutes leaving and returning to scene.

You didn't return. Your husband did but he was not the driver.

Look at it from the other drivers point of view. Someone rear ends her. She gets out to inspect the damage. Whilst discussing the matter with the driver an angry man, who may or may not have been introduced as the husband. appears on the scene. The driver legs it. The angry man argues with her tries to avoid giving insurance details with promises that he will get it fixed himself. He then legs it without giving details. Eventually he returns, no doubt still angry and argumentative, and finally gives over the drivers details.

Frankly, I'd have reported you to the police as well. The pair of you hardly did anything to inspire confidence that you were reasonable people.

purplecorkheart · 09/08/2018 16:43

I suspect so.

Hercules12 · 09/08/2018 16:44

This seems like it might be the husband posting?
I think you're right.

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 09/08/2018 16:47

@iwa80 are you a medical professional? Can you diagnose musculoskeletal injuries from a short description on the internet??

A cat ran into the back of me recently causing whiplash and a herniated disc. 4 months on I'm still in absolute agony and seeing a physio once a week. It's ruined a holiday and numerous other events this summer......am I claiming?? Too right I am. I'm in pain and it was someone else's fault. That's what insurance and compensation is there for. To look at my car there was hardly any damage but as I had my head turned watching for someone crossing a zebra crossing it caused a serious injury. Leave medical diagnoses to professionals!

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 09/08/2018 16:47

*a car not a cat! That would have caused much less damage! Lol

LizB62A · 09/08/2018 16:49

I recommend to everyone that they get a dashcam (ideally two, front and rear)
There seem to be more and more of these opportunistic cheats who try to reverse into you/claim you hit their wing mirror

That wouldn't get you out of the "not exchanging details, not stopping for an accident" but would have protected you from this chancer and would have meant they didn't call the police in the first place.

FrancisCrawford · 09/08/2018 16:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Passmethecrisps · 09/08/2018 16:52

Another bizarre post.

I can only presume that some of this has been lost in translation as I can’t inagine any other way that these posts have become so aggressive.

It has been said OP, but you are the one who claimed to be frightened of your own husband. So you leave your frightening husband alone with a young woman whose can you have rear-ended. Neither of you left details before leaving the scene. It matters not that you instructed your hasband to do so later - he had already left by then.

Considering the level of blame and assumption you are flinging about on here I can only imagine what an unpleasant exchange this might have been for the other driver.

Nicknacky · 09/08/2018 16:52

blaa I was horrified reading your post at how much damages was caused by a cat! I was in a similar position and claimed. Lost my London marathon spot!

TooTrueToBeGood · 09/08/2018 16:56

There seem to be more and more of these opportunistic cheats who try to reverse into you

There are. There are also wives that are so terrified of their husband they make up stories to try and deflect blame from themselves. Anyway, read the OP. She states "....and I didn't stop in time". At best the driver in front contributed to the accident (assuming she was even reversing) but the OP is still ultimately liable.

ArtyKitty · 09/08/2018 16:57

blaablaablaa cats ARE bastards Grin

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 09/08/2018 17:07

@nicknacky haha tbf my cat probably could cause a significant amount of damage!
Nightmare though isn't it? I feel like I have to keep justifying why I'm claiming ( because of people like the OP) but then I remember how much pain I'm in and how many nice things it's ruined.

BlaaBlaaBlaa · 09/08/2018 17:08

@artykitty mine certainly is!

PeakPants · 09/08/2018 17:12

Whoever is writing on your behalf is doing you no favours by being such a dick to other posters. It's not helpful.

They have really clamped down on whiplash claims and I doubt she will be successful. The majority of whiplash claims were thought to be false, hence the clamp-down. I agree with you that it is very very unlikely that she will have sustained a lasting injury from that sort of impact. Nigh on impossible, and I think she will find this out soon. Whiplash is of course a lasting neck-injury, not the sore neck you might get for a few days or a week after being hit in slow-moving traffic.

As for not giving details, I think if you explain there was a heated argument and that you did give her the details (not everyone carries their insurance details in car) and that your English is not good, the police will not take this much further. Act apologetic.

You do need to inform the insurance company and yes the premiums will go up. It's annoying but it's life. I am surprised it is £900 already though. I drive a reasonably sized reasonably new car and mine is £300. I do appreciate it's higher in some cities though.

£50 for a bumper repair is unrealistic though. I accidentally hit someone and it cost £500 for a very small dent to the bumper. My excess was £500 at the time, so luckily the other driver agreed to sort it privately. Still annoying, but these sorts of accidents happen and there's no point in beating yourself up about it.

PerverseConverse · 09/08/2018 17:13

LTB

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 09/08/2018 17:15

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

NicoAndTheNiners · 09/08/2018 17:18

boughtbymany.com/news/article/how-much-does-uk-car-insurance-cost/

Says here the average premium is £485. I’d be upset if I had to pay that much never mind £900.

Stopyourhavering64 · 09/08/2018 17:18

Btw a claim can take 3 yrs to settle so you'll be paying increased premiums until it is settled

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