Crashed Car into Rocks in Car Park,what next?

Miss Judy

Right lads I dunno how to phrase this for starters but here goes. Last night I had a job interview in Stillorgan Ind park and on the way out of the companies car park they have several big rocks/boulders which I did see so avoided them. There was a particular big one that I did not see that had a very sharp edge sticking out that wedged into the side of my car and I could not move. Basically it has ripped the skirting on the side of the car and both doors on the driver side are very badly damaged and have to be replaced. I took it to a renowned panel beater/crash repair guy in town today who gave me an estimate of €2,800 to replace both doors and fix the damage it did. I am totally devastated and don't have that sort of money so I will have to claim off my own insurance so I'll be loaded when I renew next July!.
Thing is, should I put a claim in against the company or will I just pay for it myself out of my insurance. I don't want to have a big fight with this company either and to make it worse I was offered the job today, interview went really well.
Do I have a claim?, was it my own fault for not seeing that rock and sharp edge sticking out, granted it was pitch black out and hard to see but I am observant and never saw that rock.
Any advice would be great, thanks in advance from a very depressed person today!

Anan1

It's hard to say without actually seeing where the rocks are, but I would be very surprised if you could claim against the company. How old is your car? What make & model is it? Is it worth spending €2,800 on repairs to the car? If the car isn't worth too much, then using second hand doors and a cheaper crash repair outfit could save you a lot of money.

Seth Brundle

Why on earth would you claim against the company? Did the rock jump out at you? Did the MD sneakily push it into you while you weren't looking?

Well done on the interview BTW.

Miss Judy

It's a 2000 Honda Accord in brilliant condition (well was:rolleyes: ) and mechanically it's great, sure it's a honda and I love it. It's worth about €7/7.5k on the open market now and I was going to get rid of it in the new year. I have 2 kids so I would be reluctant to have 2nd hand door frames fitted in the car. A cheaper outfit could ruin the car but I might shop around and see what I can come up with. I really wanted to avoid claiming off my own insurance but I could not afford to pay for it myself!

Miss Judy

Cheers...think I am too embarressed to take the job now!:o . It's an excellent opportunity so I will probably take it so will pay for it myself. God!!!

Smartypants the rock might not have jumped out at me BUT if you saw the size of it and the position it was in it could very well have happened to you!...it may aswell have jumped out at me with the damage it has done.

Anan1

Do you have a full NCB? Some companies allow you to make one claim of up to a certain figure (often €3,000) without losing your bonus. The only thing is, you'll then be stuck with the same insurance company for the next 5 years. Might still be worth your while, though.

cjt156

"The only thing is, you'll then be stuck with the same insurance company for the next 5 years."

is that how it works? bugger me...

Del2005

Anan1 wrote:

Do you have a full NCB? Some companies allow you to make one claim of up to a certain figure (often €3,000) without losing your bonus. The only thing is, you'll then be stuck with the same insurance company for the next 5 years. Might still be worth your while, though.

I don't think that is true. I got my letter of full NCB when I renewed my insurance and it said I had full NCB but stated I may have made a claim, can't remember exact wording but it was something like that. So as far as I could make out even if I'd had a claim I could still change company. It was from FBD if that makes any difference

Anan1

cjt156 wrote:

"The only thing is, you'll then be stuck with the same insurance company for the next 5 years."

is that how it works? bugger me...

It's the same with a protected NCB. You can move, but any other company will penalise you for the claim, ie you won't have a NCB.

Miss Judy

Yes I have full NCB but I think I will have to stay with them now for a few years and put up with the increase next year. If it's too much I might just buy a 1.4 or 1.6 for a few years, currently drive a 1.8 and was going for a 2.0 after Xmas so shag that idea now!.
Thanks for the advice guys!:)

Anan1

Del2005 wrote:

I don't think that is true. I got my letter of full NCB when I renewed my insurance and it said I had full NCB but stated I may have made a claim, can't remember exact wording but it was something like that. So as far as I could make out even if I'd had a claim I could still change company. It was from FBD if that makes any difference

Sorry, I didn't make myself too clear there. What I meant to say was that no other company would give a NCB discount because of the claim, therefore one would effectively be stuck with the same company.

Anan1

Miss Judy wrote:

Yes I have full NCB but I think I will have to stay with them now for a few years and put up with the increase next year. If it's too much I might just buy a 1.4 or 1.6 for a few years, currently drive a 1.8 and was going for a 2.0 after Xmas so shag that idea now!.
Thanks for the advice guys!:)

Have you asked your insurance company whether claiming for the accident would increase your policy next year?

Raiser

Hey,

If the rock is in a stupid place then perhaps the company IS liable - same as if there were loose tiles or a slippery floor with no warning signs etc.

Was there adequate lighting?

Was the rock out of alignment with the rest of the rocks in the row?

Maybe enquiries would yield testimony from other employees on this punk rock [sorry ]

- Sign a contract and then pursue your damages

Hotblack Desiato

Raiser wrote:

Was there adequate lighting?

Isn't that what headlights are for? A pedestrian could have a case over inadequate lighting though.

Was the rock out of alignment with the rest of the rocks in the row?

So what if it is or isn't. It's up to drivers to look where they're going (I know, not fashionable any more but...) It's not as if it's a child that ran into OP's path. It's a shagging rock, it doesn't move. Now I think we've all hit fixed objects at some stage or another, I know I have, but it's very depressing that the instant reaction nowadays seems to be "can I sue?" no matter what

kdouglas

Raiser wrote:

Hey,

If the rock is in a stupid place then perhaps the company IS liable - same as if there were loose tiles or a slippery floor with no warning signs etc.

Was there adequate lighting?

Was the rock out of alignment with the rest of the rocks in the row?

Maybe enquiries would yield testimony from other employees on this punk rock [sorry ]

- Sign a contract and then pursue your damages

this is exactly what's wrong with people claiming for every little thing,
"i was working on a building site and tripped over some tools" - it's a fuckin building site, watch where your bloody going!!!
same rule applies here, sorry that you damaged your car, but dont go looking to blame someone else YOU hit the bloody thing, the company is in no way at fault.

nxbyveromdwjpg

kdouglas wrote:

this is exactly what's wrong with people claiming for every little thing,
"i was working on a building site and tripped over some tools" - it's a fuckin building site, watch where your bloody going!!!

Have to disagree, its not the same at all. Of course theres tools on a building site but what is a big jagged boulder doing in an ackward, out of line-of-vision position in the middle of a carpark??

Anan1

nm wrote:

Have to disagree, its not the same at all. Of course theres tools on a building site but what is a big jagged boulder doing in an ackward, out of line-of-vision position in the middle of a carpark??

With respect, ones intended route should never be out of ones line of vision. While I have every sympathy for the OPs predicament, my guess is that hitting the rock was linked with her mind still being on the interview.

John R

nm wrote:

Have to disagree, its not the same at all. Of course theres tools on a building site but what is a big jagged boulder doing in an ackward, out of line-of-vision position in the middle of a carpark??

Out of line-of-vision? She drove into it and apparently it was huge so it can't have been that well hidden. It was in a car park so there would be no justifiable reason for driving too fast to avoid hitting it either.

It was an unfortunate incident but the OP is to blame for not paying enough attention. I am sure we can all recall times where we have missed something and either had a bump or a lucky escape. Nobody's perfect and all that but when you hit a large immobile object then do the decent thing and take the blame rather than scratching around looking for others to pay for your error.


The earlier advice about fitting second hand doors is good, there is no safety compromise in doing that as long as the replacements are in good condition.

jimmycrackcorm

How could it be so expensive to have 2 doors replaced at €2800 - are they gold plated? Surely they'd be cheap enough to get second hand ones from a breakers?

CJhaughey

FFS! People like the OP are the reason why insurance is so expensive in this country.
Makes me sick TBH.

cast_iron

ninja900 wrote:

It's not as if it's a child that ran into OP's path. It's a shagging rock, it doesn't move. Now I think we've all hit fixed objects at some stage or another, I know I have, but it's very depressing that the instant reaction nowadays seems to be "can I sue?" no matter what

Exactly.

YOU messed up. Unless 20 others hit the same rock, then you really shouldn't even be asking the question.

My advice is get a cheaper repair quote and pay for it yourself.

Hotblack Desiato

cast_iron wrote:

Unless 20 others hit the same rock, then you really shouldn't even be asking the question.

20 other people hitting it proves nothing other than that 20 other drivers were less attentive than they could have been. Given the overall standard of driving in this country that would easily happen. How often do you see a battered chevron sign on a roundabout where someone tried to drive straight on?? Doesn't mean that we need to abolish roundabouts!

cast_iron

True, but we are not talking about a set piece of road, ie. a roundabout. The fact is that the company may well be responsible for that rock, but it would have to be a strange situation that they should accept liability.
If, however, it was such an odd situation that caught so many drivers out such that it was beyond a reasonable expectation to avoid it - then the driver may well have a case in claiming (though i'm sure the legality is a bit more complicated, and much more details would be needed to offer opinion on this).

Seth Brundle

Not knowing the particular car park, but going on the belief that the boulders were there to indicate a boundary then the same logic would also apply had there been a wall there surely?
If she hit a lamppost would they still be at fault?
The OP was not focused on what she was doing. She hit the rock - its location is irrelevant. Lets say there was a pond in the middle of the carpark - if she drove in are they still at fault?

Miss Judy

CJhaughey wrote:

FFS! People like the OP are the reason why insurance is so expensive in this country.
Makes me sick TBH.

Your username makes me vomit!. I have NEVER made a claim in my life. I NEVER said I was going to claim you eget, just wondering what my options are. I would never agree with bogus insurance claims and I am certainly not one to go crying wolfe. I genuinley did not see that rock, the place was in darkeness and I was doing about 2km/h in my car to turn left out of the place and next minute the bloddy noise and the state of my car. I said the bloke in the compnay was really nice to me and I would be mortified to challenge him tbh. I'm not that type of person, but he did say to me that's it's happened before!.
Maybe if people stopped driving around on provisionals unaccompanies, stopped tailgating other road users in their suburu imprezza's on the M50, that people can just arrive in this country and get into a car without any driving experience and people knew how to use roundabouts the insurance costs would not be what they are today!.

Miss Judy

Raiser wrote:

Hey,

If the rock is in a stupid place then perhaps the company IS liable - same as if there were loose tiles or a slippery floor with no warning signs etc.

Was there adequate lighting?

Was the rock out of alignment with the rest of the rocks in the row?

Maybe enquiries would yield testimony from other employees on this punk rock [sorry ]

- Sign a contract and then pursue your damages

I wouldn't have the guts to do something like that, seriously the MD was such a nice man and very genuine. I would hate to argue with him. Oh god..just got an email from the agency, the MD wants me to pop up to him with my car for a chat . She said he was concerned about how bad it was. I actually said to him after we got the car "unstuck" not to worry about it that I wouldn't be causing him any problems about it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.My father was over there aswell yesterday for a look and he is driving 43 years and he has never had so much as a tip (I know- what a fecker!!:D ) and he does not think it was entirely my fault esp in the dark and he would be the first person to tell me when I am in the wrong. I'm 30 and i still don't tell him things incase he would go mental at me!!:D . He has the same opinion of me, it could be bad luck and not very nice to start any funny business with making a claim so he did say they might come to me so he is right!!. I'll let you know how it goes, popping up at lunctime!

skyhighflyer

CJhaughey wrote:

FFS! People like the OP are the reason why insurance is so expensive in this country.
Makes me sick TBH.

Most helpful CJ :rolleyes: If the rock was in a stupid place then yes the company does have a duty to exercise reasonable care and control over the land it owns and occupies. However you should just suck it up because you have to look out for the unexpected all the time..

Just claim off your insurance - whatever loading you get it won't amount to 2800 extra next time round.

franksm

[Alistair Sim mode]
Come come, gentlemen, gentlemen, please grace the lady with some assistance
[/Alistair Sim mode]

Everyone makes mistakes - especially understandable after coming out to what might be a waterpocked car, in the rain and in the dark, in a badly lit location on the "come down" after an interview session.

I'm just glad she didn't make any spelling/grammar mistakes, or put too many capitcal letters in, or the Boards Syntax, Semantics and Spelling Police would have been on her case.

Keith C

You can only claim off your insurance if you have fully comp insurance so check that first.

Simple maths can be applied to your insurance presuming you have full 50% NCB & you have stepback, next years premium will go up by 30% (as your bonus will be reduced to 20%)

Why dont you ring your insurance company & ask them? If your with Quinn Id ring them asap as I heard you have to report claims within 24 hours, dont forget if you claim you have to pay the x/s so check out how much that is.
I hope you didnt go with one of those online quotes with a €4k x/s :eek:

Miss Judy

I'm with Allianz and they said I am looking at a 30% hike next year if I go ahead with the claim and I will lose 20% NCB and I'll be stuck with them for the forseeable future.
I'm thinking of getting rid of the car as is and buying something else. Made a few calls about it this morning so will see what happens. I also have to go and see the guy in the company at lunchtime with my car so might just go ahead and fix it if he is willing to help me out and just hold off changing till after Xmas.

Stark

I wonder why people even bother with comprehensive insurance these days when you can't make a claim without being screwed.

Although afaik making a claim should only affect your comprehensive NCB which isn't half as bad as losing your third party NCB.