Do I inform my insurance company??

Nick G

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Hi Guys,
A bit of advice would be appreciated.
I was on a birthday ride out today with my daughter on the back in Matlock Derbyshire riding along the main/high street on my ST1300 when a young guy sitting on his 125 outside a bike accessory shop and parked behind a small van facing into the road just pulled out straight across me. I tried to avoid him but couldn’t and I collided with him with my left mirror and left upper fairing. I didn’t come off but the lad did. Neither of us hurt. A bit of a scuff on my upper fairing and mirror cover flew off a cracked. Young lads bike hit the deck and had more damage. We exchanged details and that was that...or so I thought.
Hour or so later his mum calls and berates me for knocking her son off his bike and says she has two witnesses that put me at fault and CCTV footage from a shop at the ‘scene’. Its a load of fabricated threatening stuff. Sounds like the lad had told his mum a pack of lies. Anyhow after I insisted that it was her sons fault and she said the insurance will have to sort it out.
I hope they’ll think again given after sleeping on it. Dunno. I was going to get a price for my light repair and ask the lad to pay for it possibly away from insurance (as my excess might even be higher than the damage cost) but it looks like he doesn’t want to admit he messed up. Maybe he’s only TPFT covered and wants me to pay for his damage??


So after all that long winded stuff do I need to inform my insurer of the accident even if I am potentially not claiming and if he comes to his senses the lad won’t either.
If I do inform my insurer it will effect my premium and NCB as it will if I claim for my damage even if it is accepted as a no fault claim from me.

Shame as up to that point I was having a good birthday:(
 
Yes and yes; tell them and it’s going to cost you money.
 
I don’t know exactly what the rules are over there but you may be obliged to report it to plod as well. JJH
 
I wiped out a farmers gate post the once, round a bend & sheet of ice across the road from a flooded ditch. Car was old & easily fixed wasnt going to claim but I rang the insurance see where I stood ref his damaged property for advice. They insisted on getting details from me before discussing it and it was recorded as an accident regardless of no claim stayed on file for the next 3/5 years etc
 
I would report it immediately and get your version of events written down with supporting diagrams and pictorial evidence.

Go back and take pics of where it happened plus damage on your bike. Make sure you daughter gives her version too.

Not sure if you can get access to shop videos, but you could check out what cameras are where and ask politely. Doubt they are obliged to share with you.

If the other party pursues this, you will need yo arm your insurance with as much info and supporting evidence as possible to fight your case and I would be asking them to pursue the other party for all costs if it was their fault.
 
JJH said:
I don’t know exactly what the rules are over there but you may be obliged to report it to plod as well. JJH
Click to expand...

In the UK you can now do that on-line and they "will get back to you" if theres an issue
 
Read your policy to check if you need to inform your insurers.

Write to laddo and ask for a copy of the video.
 
Greg Masters said:
Read your policy to check if you need to inform your insurers.

Write to laddo and ask for a copy of the video.
Click to expand...

Don't have any contact with the 3rd party - it will specifically say in the policy not to negotiate with the 3rd party. Log any calls they make to you trying to force you into a "deal" and remind them they have your insurer's details and should contact them.

You really need to inform your insurer. Whilst there is no apparent injury to the lad, he may develop an injury and you could have an ambulance chasing lawyer at you. If you have not informed your insurer in a timely manner you may find they have a reason to walk away from the claim as you did not stick to the terms of the contract.

Let the insurer or claims handler establish the facts and deal with the family trying it on. The small addition to your premium next year will be tiny in relation to the grief you could unleash if you try to handle this yourself.
 
It doesn't sound like it will drop quietly, so get you Insurance involved, insist 100% no fault otherwise you will be penalised. Start gathering the evidence, but if eye witnesses are friends of the lad, it will be harder. That fact you have been threatened means you can stop playing nicely and go full guns. Any other camera footage available.

Something not too dissimilar happened to my wife and as it was deemed 50:50, ended up looking bad for her, it is now why we have front/rear dash cams in the cars.
 
I hope they’ll think again given after sleeping on it.
Click to expand...

If that is how they started, they won't.
Always assume the worse in people when insurance/compensation is involved.


Tell your insurance. Be clear you are not claiming anything. It will probably affect your NCB. There is a small chance it might not. Really depends on the insurer.
As suggested already: record the calls.


Years ago I had a small accident with a pedestrian. Called the police, filed reports, all good. Non of us was at fault. No one made claim. NCB up by 500 quid a year per three years anyway (that was 25% - my premium was already very high at the time, hence the hefty increase). :)
 
Might be worth contacting Dalton and White specialist bike solicitors for some advice as well. It will be worth a phone discussion so you can at least make an informed decision. He has obviously lied through his teeth and his "outraged" mother smells compo money so you need to look out for yourself.
 
This is UKGSer..... Feck the insurers, go around to his house and give the pair of them a crack. Teach ‘em a lesson and some respect. Job done.

In between, just give your insurer a call. It’ll end up with “Yes he did, no he didn’t” (as so many do) and that will probably be the end of it...... unless he really does have a film that shows you doing what you said you didn’t do or, alternatively, you having a film that confirms your version.

As to people changing their stories to suit their (completely untrue) version? Yes, people lie for all sorts of reasons. As to why the kid did? Who knows but the crack, as suggested in the opening line, will sort that out.
 
Santa-2512 said:
You only need to report to plod if someone was injured, or there is an allegation of bad/ poor driving (due care / DD etc)

just bashed cars - on your way
Click to expand...

UPDATE
I went back to 'the scene' this morning around 10am to take pictures. As far as I can see there are no cameras pointed at the road. The bike shop has one pointed at its door. Shop was closed. Anyhow if there was footage it would just prove it was the lads fault
Fella from a cafe next door came out and said he saw it all and it was definitely the kids fault. I have his details. He suggested I report it to the police. Doing it online the site asks if I want to report an offence such as careless driving. Basically that's what it was so do I go for that and drop the lad in it?
 
The lad (abetted by his mother) is / was keen enough to drop you in it. They’d be the least of my concern.

Certainly inform your insurer, not least as you have been told that the third party intends to blame you. Give your insurer the name and details of the independent third party witness, too. He’s your only lifeline when it comes to the ‘Yes you did, no I didn’t’ tug-of-war.

As to whether you inform plod? There are / were no known bodily injuries to anyone nor was any third party property damaged, other than the other vehicle, so you are not obliged to report anything to the rozzers. It’s a civil matter and the filth have better things to do, like arresting people not using roundabouts properly and speeding past hospitals..... and looking for discounted donuts.
 
Think about it. Not something I’d be rushing to do but their trying it on so protect yourself. JJH
 
It can be worthwhile stating what witnesses came forward at the time, in case the other party later conjures up another “witness”.
 
I had an incident a few years back (feck me it’s 8 years ago) when a pedestrian did a SMIDSY on a dark 40mph road. I was on my bike (Transalp 650) in a line of cars all doing about 35mph. She tried to dash across the road in the gap between the cars that I filled. I hit her full on but stayed on. She had a broken wrist and concussion. I was locked in the back of the attending police car, aggressively questioned and breathalysed. Police eventually (weeks later) said I was 100% innocent.

Anyway, I did report it to my insurance “just in case”. Damage to the bike was negligible and as it was a ratty 100,000+ miler didn’t matter anyway so no claim from me but I was worried about a compo claim. This never materialised as I think she knew she was 100% at fault. But on renewal the premium was loaded even though I had protected no claims, so same discount on a higher premium. (Protecting no claims is laughable really) and it took a lot of persuading that I had reported an incident not made a claim before they (LV=) backed down. Nevertheless I still had to report an incident at each renewal for the next five years.

If it happened again I would still report it though, the hassle likely from not reporting an incident outweighs the benefit of knowing your insurance co should deal with any claim against you.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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