Hi, I am new to this board and wondered if I could have some help please?
In December last year I was driving at about 15 mph and a man ran out in between two parked cars and into the side of my car. He then fell backwards, but got straight back up. I stopped and we talked, we asked if he was ok and said we would call an ambulance to check on him but he said he was fine and that he would walk home and his friends would go with him. My boyfriend gave him his phone number, asked him to please contact us later to let us know he was ok, everyone shook hands and we left.
I was a horrible mess for ages, I cried for days and didn't drive for a while. We didn't hear back from the man, but his friends at the mosque said he was fine and everything was ok. I had reported it to the police and the insurance company, who both assured me that all was fine. A month or more later, the man called my boyfriend spoke to him for a while (all cordial, said he was fine and he only had scratches on his hands that had healed) and then asked to speak to me- when I spoke to him he started asking for money for his damaged clothes and his phone. He claimed his brand new iPhone had been smashed and he needed £200 for a new one. I didn't agree with this as although a phone was damaged, it wasn't a smart phone. The battery fell out so it wasn't a new style phone at all. I felt he was lying, and as he was calling us during the night and very early in the morning I called the insurance company and the police again. The insurance company assured me that just because I was driving doesn't mean I am automatically liable, and that should he make a claim they would dispute it. The police said it was up to the insurance company to deal with, even though I felt the man was making fraudulent claims, and bothering me at all hours. In the end, on the advice of the insurance company, I passed my insurance details to him and asked him to contact them. He wasn't happy about this but eventually left me alone. This was around January time.
Yesterday I got a call from the insurance company saying this man wants £3,300 compensation for back, head and hand injuries as well as whiplash. He also wants £300 for his phone and clothing. This is dispite him saying he was fine, and he hadn't even reported anything to the police. The insurance company straight away said they will make him an offer for compensation when I think they should be disputing it, as they previously said they would. The insurance company kept saying that I admitted liability, even though I haven't (and wouldn't). The man should have been using the zebra crossing, he shouldn't have been running or crossing between two parked cars without looking first. They kept asking me questions in what felt like an attempt to try and trip me up and were very unsympathetic. The claims handler honestly can't be bothered to dispute. I am worried about having to pay a large excess and losing my no claims bonus, for something that really wasn't my fault.
Does anyone know if I have any come back in this situation? I have legal cover, although they have told me that this isn't their problem. I can't help but feel like Aviva, as my insurer, have more of a responsibility to listen to me and get my side of things but they don't seem bothered at all. I asked if I could have what the handler had said in writing, along with the next steps and what I can expect but he said no.
Thank you
In December last year I was driving at about 15 mph and a man ran out in between two parked cars and into the side of my car. He then fell backwards, but got straight back up. I stopped and we talked, we asked if he was ok and said we would call an ambulance to check on him but he said he was fine and that he would walk home and his friends would go with him. My boyfriend gave him his phone number, asked him to please contact us later to let us know he was ok, everyone shook hands and we left.
I was a horrible mess for ages, I cried for days and didn't drive for a while. We didn't hear back from the man, but his friends at the mosque said he was fine and everything was ok. I had reported it to the police and the insurance company, who both assured me that all was fine. A month or more later, the man called my boyfriend spoke to him for a while (all cordial, said he was fine and he only had scratches on his hands that had healed) and then asked to speak to me- when I spoke to him he started asking for money for his damaged clothes and his phone. He claimed his brand new iPhone had been smashed and he needed £200 for a new one. I didn't agree with this as although a phone was damaged, it wasn't a smart phone. The battery fell out so it wasn't a new style phone at all. I felt he was lying, and as he was calling us during the night and very early in the morning I called the insurance company and the police again. The insurance company assured me that just because I was driving doesn't mean I am automatically liable, and that should he make a claim they would dispute it. The police said it was up to the insurance company to deal with, even though I felt the man was making fraudulent claims, and bothering me at all hours. In the end, on the advice of the insurance company, I passed my insurance details to him and asked him to contact them. He wasn't happy about this but eventually left me alone. This was around January time.
Yesterday I got a call from the insurance company saying this man wants £3,300 compensation for back, head and hand injuries as well as whiplash. He also wants £300 for his phone and clothing. This is dispite him saying he was fine, and he hadn't even reported anything to the police. The insurance company straight away said they will make him an offer for compensation when I think they should be disputing it, as they previously said they would. The insurance company kept saying that I admitted liability, even though I haven't (and wouldn't). The man should have been using the zebra crossing, he shouldn't have been running or crossing between two parked cars without looking first. They kept asking me questions in what felt like an attempt to try and trip me up and were very unsympathetic. The claims handler honestly can't be bothered to dispute. I am worried about having to pay a large excess and losing my no claims bonus, for something that really wasn't my fault.
Does anyone know if I have any come back in this situation? I have legal cover, although they have told me that this isn't their problem. I can't help but feel like Aviva, as my insurer, have more of a responsibility to listen to me and get my side of things but they don't seem bothered at all. I asked if I could have what the handler had said in writing, along with the next steps and what I can expect but he said no.
Thank you