What should I do to combat someone's needless meanness?

Stupid question but....

In the event of an accident where one party is injured - should the police have been informed ? If there was no police accident report, was there ever an injury ?

I would hand the matter to your insurers and let them sort it out. Deny liability, you have good grounds and get your car fixed.

Sleep well knowing some office-junkie will sort it out for you.

She's obviously lying but if there's one thing I've learned lately it's that calling a liar a liar is not terribly productive. That goes doubly for someone who may be deceiving themselves: she can't face the fact that she's in the wrong so she pretends she isn't. Confronting her with the truth will just antagonise her further - and what if she claims you're trying to intimidate her?

Also, explaining exactly what is wrong with her story will give her a chance to make up a better one, if she hasn't already forwarded her account to her insurance company.

I would avoid any further direct contact of any kind with her. The insurance company should be able handle the matter, and if it's an "open and shut case" [if you'll pardon the pun] then I don't see why they shouldn't be able to resolve it in your favour.

sorry to hear about this rod, i suspect she admitted it at the time, but when it came to telling her husband how stupid she had been she bottled it and made a little story blaming you.

There are certainly some shits out there, a few years ago a guy pulled out in front of me on my moped, he went and made a phonecall and told everyone he was calling an ambulance and the police, 45 mins later my dad turned up and the ambulance still hadnt arrived so my old man rung them himself.

Well my of my dads friends is a copper and checked what 999 calls had been made that morning, my dads was the first.

So this man willingly left me lying at the side of the road, hoping that if he delayed it long enough he could move his car (a witness made him leave his car in the exact position as when my bike struck it) and that my bike would be moved so he could try and worm his way out of it.

since then i kind of lost my compassion for other human beings aswell.

Chris

Let's save the bonfires for our mother-in-laws.

New evidence (Post 238) suggests that the woman (allegedly) opened her door at precisely the moment a car appeared round a sharp corner. Neither driver may be strictly at fault. Sometimes these things just happen. Simultaneity is a cruel tyrant.

It is the insurance company's competitive behaviour that often demands a victim and an offender. Which is odd since you assume you pay for your own insurance. Not that of the other driver.

There was (allegedly) an injury involved. The police should have been called immediately.

The woman may have been in considerable pain, shocked and confused. Her later recollection of the incident may actually be more realistic than her original admission on the spur of the moment. We all apologise for the slightest brush in the street between pedestrians. Even when we are the recipient of injurious behaviour. It is the first thing we do. We empathise and sympathise with the other party.

Contacting her was not a good idea IMO. She will feel threatened and become entrenched in her attitude. She would have every right to complain to the police herself. Her fear of recrimination. For not calling the police immediately after the accident. May be all that is keeping her from making a formal complaint of harrassment.

Nime

quote:

---

appeared round a sharp corner.

---

And where exactly did "sharp corner" come from?

Post (238)

Nime

Right, well quoting post numbers doesn't really help as this is a counter, and it'll say something different every time someone posts on this forum.

I am categorically not going to enter into a discussion about what happened with someone who was't there, but especially not with someone who thinks that all junctions are "sharp corners". "Sharp" talks about angles - which have not been discussed - and "sharp corners" suggests someone could be excused for not seeing something in a mirror. If every corner and junction that you have every encountered in your life is of this nature then you live somewhere very weird indeed.

Rod, if you're going to ask for help in a public forum you should try not to be quite so rude when it's offered. Based on what you said in the post that Nime pointed out "I'd just turned right and couldn't possibly have been exceeding the speed limit within 20 feet"
20 feet, 6m... it takes what, a second to cover that distance? Suddenly you've gone from being completely in the right in "the jury's" mind to "well, maybe there's a reason she didn't see him". Also hiding bits of VERY pertinent information tends to make your version of events far less credible. People start to wonder what else you may be hiding from them when you do that.

Good point John.

I remember looking in my mirror before pulling away from a house that was just after a "sharp corner" only for another car to come round said corner and start blowing his horn because he felt that I'd cut him up.

A few days later I actually picked up the occupants of the vehicle behind me, and they chose to mention the incident. I pointed out to them that my mirrors don't enable me to see round corners...

Regards,

Steve.

PS to add:

It was in an L-shaped cul-de-sac or arse-end of a bag.

Regards,

Steve.

Oooh,

So that's what 'cul-de-sac' means....

You learn something new every day, don't you?



JR

Your insurers are going to pay and you are going to lose your no-claims. It's only money (and some of it is ours as we pay insurance too). Let it go, don't spoil the rest of your life.

Rod,

FWIW Rockingdoc is right. There have been many instances in my life when I have felt as wronged as you evidently do right now and in those situations I know for myself how easy it is to tar everyone else with the same brush and then to just stop trusting people altogether.

You clearly have a great sense of humour if the majority of your posts (prior to this thread, obviously!) are anything to go by and I would hate to see you fritter that away on the back of a nasty set of circumstances that says more about the motives and character of the other party than you. The thing is it's probably going to happen again, if not to you then to some other poor sod, and as 'Doc says we'll all have to pay for it eventually when our next motor insurance renewals come through.

Whatever the outcome, get over it and move on. Who knows....you might actually even be able to laugh about it later on, one day!

Cheers,

JR

I know I don't post on here very much (so little in fact that I couldn't remember my original password from 1999 and had to re-apply for a new login), but this subject really gets my goat...or should I say Elephant.

As more than one of you has attested to, people are, by and large with the exception of current company, utter sh1ts, and when dealing with anyone you don't know, you should remeber this and be prepared for the consequences.

My most recent dealing with an insurance company (Hippo?) revolved around a crash in April 2003. As I pulled onto a roundabout, the driveshaft which I had fixed 2 days previous decided to become disengaged from the differential leaving me stranded, partially blocking the roundabout and it's exit. It was at this point that the car I had seen driving towards the roundabout (there is at least half a mile of unobstructed view) locked his brakes and slid 70yds into the side of my car making impact with the A-pillar. Despite the fact that his skid marks suggest he was travelling at an unwise speed for a roundabout, and that he could simply have driven around my car if he wasn't such a donkey, the insurance company (giraffe?) decided it was my fault as I had pulled out in front of him ("after all sir, you did see him coming." - "HE WAS HALF A MILE AWAY!").

After some beration from my good self, they sent an "engineer" to inspect the car and he did conclude that the driveshaft had been incorrectly fitted.

Once my car was repaired for damage at the expense of the insurance company (Zebra?) and the driveshaft (second time, both at my expense), it was found that my car would be ideal for the Indy 500 due to it's propensity to turn left at the first application of either accelerator or brake. Investigation by a real engineer (me) found this to be due to the crash repair company fitting the wrong size tyre to the front off-side wheel. I aksed them to fix this, and they said that they couldn't as there was nothing wrong with the tyre they fitted, and the insurance company (Hyena?) wouldn't let them change the other tyre as it wasn't damaged!

Total cost to me of this charade £1000 to cover excess, driveshaft repairs (x2), pair of front tyres and a new battery (which became irrecoverably flat whilst at the bodyshop).

Total cost to the other person entering a roundabout at 60mph. £0

However. It would appear that the myth surrounding certain wild animals and their memory isn't all true as, for the second year running, they have failed to recognise the accident on my policy and the premium has gone south rather than north. Being the good citizen, I seriously considered telling them about their error, but what good would it do? After all, they already know abou it...

To date, total money saved in un-increased premiums £1075 :-)

CD3/72/Snaps/140/A5/Linn Keosa

JR, Rockingdoc, thanks and you're right. I feel much better about the whole thing for having had an otherwise good weekend.

I certainly never meant to be "rude" to anyone by pointing out that all right turns are not "sharp corners". This was actually a very shallow traffic-lit junction of a "corner" with total visibility, a fact acknowledged at the time by the other party.
The origin of my post was what to do about a person who said (quote) "sorry, my fault, I didn't see you" immediately afer an incident, then "my door was already open" on a form, then - when this can be proved to be a lie - "you were going too fast" in person on the phone. All for no advantage to themselves.

From that - and this is a lesson in how dangerous internet forum "discussions" can become - I get to:
"hiding bits of VERY pertinent information tends to make your version of events far less credible"

Which I find frankly so far wide of the mark as to be offensive (and rude in iteslf to be honest). I have not contradicted myself, nor hidden anything, and I did not seek anyone's opinion on whether or not in their view I was in the right.
I know I was in the right, and so does she.

But as people have pointed out, life is too short. Nevertheless I shall not trust other people if faced with a similar situation in the future. The "once bitten twice shy" maxim is true and has made me a less trusting person. Not a positive effect IMO, and worse than losing the money.

My despair will only be complete if some BF now tells me that Santa doesn't exist.

Thanks for everyone's advice and help.

Rod

[This message was edited by rodwsmith on Mon 13 December 2004 at 15:49.]

Give em a free night out with our Matt, innit.


Fritz Von Nothanksrequired

Pish: He chooses the venue !!!

Fritz,

You'd probably drink him under the table.

He'd be a cheap date though - just one sniff of the barmaid's apron...

Regards,

Steve.

A few years back, a guy arse-ended me on the approach to a roundabout and pushed me along into the roundabout by about two car-lengths. He got out of hs car, took the phone number from the side of my taxi and rang my office to admit full responsibility.

It's a good job for him he did, cos two days later I had neck-ache lasting for three days thereafter.

I could have got £500+ from his insurance for whiplash, but as he'd been a decent fellow in my direction, I returned the favour by not making the claim.

That's me chaps!

If, in life, guys are straight with me I'm straight with them. If they f*ck with me then it's another matter...

Regards,

Steve.

[This message was edited by Steve Toy on Tue 14 December 2004 at 4:29.]