Minty_Fresh
Member
Registered: 1st May 08
Location: westmidlands
User status: Offline
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In October last year I was heading to work on a clear dry day, entered down a slip road (40mph limit due to road works and very very light traffic) accelerated to approximately 20mph (1/3 of the way down the slip road from a set of traffic lights) when a 7 seater black cab decides to lock it's brakes and do a emergency stop. Obviously my reaction is to do the same, I then come to a near stop and literally tapped the rear of this cab at roughly 2mph. The cab then decides to casually drive away, Fuming I told the cab to pull over to just ask why he had done what he did, his answer was "the car in front put his brakes on". There was nothing there!!!
I said I want your details incase you try and put a claim in etc even though there's no damage what so ever, obviously.
I took approx 20 photographs clearly showing no damage to either car, the tyre marks and how clear the conditions and motorway was.
Anyway, December rolls round and I receive a letter from my insurance stating x3 claims for whiplash (including x2 Romanian passengers) has been put forward to us including a damage claim.
:O WHAT THE F#CK!!!!!
That week I had my car inspected by one of there people who literally laughed and said there is clearly no damage to this vehicle and states he gets these kind inspections all the time and how sickening it is.
Aswell as having someone come round my home for me to give a full detailed statement from me and my x2 work mates.
That was the last time I had spoken/contact with my insurer about the matter.
Forward to yesterday I had my insurance renewal come through to find it's gone up £750 and lost a years no claims.
I called my insurer straight away, spoke to the claims department and apparently it's been going back and forward with there solicitors (I have received nothing to state this) and they have also out a claim in for £1600 worth of damage.
They say it won't be ending any time soon and I may have to go to court.
LOVELY!
[Edited on 18-06-2015 by Minty_Fresh]
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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They will lose in court. Bit of a ball ache mind.
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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They'll win, you'll be out of pocket and they'll each be about £4k richer. You hit the back of them, that implies fault straight away, they'll all say it was at 1000000mph and they're in massive pain. IT won't ever go to court.
Happened to me, couple of idiots cut across me at a roundabout and slammed on, I hit the back of them at no speed, no damage to either car and 9 months later I discovered they'd had 12k of personal injury and I'd lost 2 yrs no claims. Still paying for it to this day. My sister is still driving the car around with no problems what so ever, 2 MOTs in that time.
[Edited on 18-06-2015 by pow]
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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The difference is he has shit loads of evidence to refute their case
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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This was on bbc this morning, called ''claimed and shamed''.
It's rife at the moment, mostly caused by no win no fee lawyers who pretty much encouraged people to claim regardless of injury.
I was once offered nearly a grand by my own insurance company for an accident I had, where by a woman drove into the back of my car at speed (it was a 70mph road, I was at the back of a queue, stationery and she didn't see us all stopped 
It's far too easy for people to claim these days.
Best thing to do is install a dash cam. In some countries it is now a requirement otherwise you won't get insured.
All you can do is let the solicitors do their job and forget about it. So what, you've lost a years no claims? At least you're not a dirty Romanian prick scamming for a living.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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P.S. Sorry for the Paul J essay. I got caught up in the moment 
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
The difference is he has shit loads of evidence to refute their case
No real evidence e.g cctv or dashcam. Anyone can get a car fixed themselves.
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Minty_Fresh
Member
Registered: 1st May 08
Location: westmidlands
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
quote:
Originally posted by Steve
The difference is he has shit loads of evidence to refute their case
No real evidence e.g cctv or dashcam. Anyone can get a car fixed themselves.
Not instantly, pictures clearly show no damage to either vehicle.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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Whilst I don't disagree, I do know that bumpers flex a lot and so if you tap one, it will push in and then come back out, looking fine, but the crash panel behind it will be damaged.
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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A few pictures isn't enough, word of IAM Surety. Unless there is dashcam footage swerving infront of him and slamming on, he isn't winning.
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Minty_Fresh
Member
Registered: 1st May 08
Location: westmidlands
User status: Offline
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Type in fraud whiplash claims on google and the names saleem, jamil, hussain etc etc and words such as cab and taxi are in pretty much every link. All with very similar story to mine..
Very low speed, no damage and fraud!!
Surely this plays a part
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VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
User status: Offline
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What plays a part is the fact the insurance companies sell your details to the ambulance chasing law firms. I still get calls to this day (at least one a week) for a claim I made on one of my company cars that was hit whilst I was inside the house.
They fully insist that I am entitled to claim. The amount of people that must get their calls bundled through to solicitors just for being in the car must be unbelievable.
The fact that most people are skint can't help matters either.
Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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When someone hit me, I told my insurance company that I didn't want my details sold to anyone. It seemed to work.
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3CorsaMeal
Member
Registered: 11th Apr 02
User status: Offline
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Tailgating him imo
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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The 'accelerated to 20mph' bit made me laugh.
Theres a 15mph limit outside my work as it's a private estate and it's near impossible to go this slow, even with the horribly uneven road 20mph down a slip road would be ridiculously slow.
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Minty_Fresh
Member
Registered: 1st May 08
Location: westmidlands
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
The 'accelerated to 20mph' bit made me laugh.
Theres a 15mph limit outside my work as it's a private estate and it's near impossible to go this slow, even with the horribly uneven road 20mph down a slip road would be ridiculously slow.
Was from traffic lights at the top of the slip road + mk4 astra dti + Happens 1/3 down the slip road
Hence 20mph
[Edited on 18-06-2015 by Minty_Fresh]
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Generation
Member
Registered: 7th Jul 09
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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I knew pow was going to
Pipe up with his story again
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Andrew
Member
Registered: 5th May 04
Location: Skoda Octavia Estate, Ford Puma
User status: Offline
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I had someone go up the back of me a few months back. 3.5k worth of damage. Because the claim is pending i'm now paying an additional £800. Insurance is a complete joke!!
Calls wise, at one point after speaking with my insurance i had 29 missed calls in a day. I'm changing my number soon!
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Generation
I knew pow was going to
Pipe up with his story again
Giving my personal experience
29 missed calls eh Andrew?
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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My brother got done a few years back with the help of Aviva. He was joining a roundabout in our Transit, middle lane to go straight on, some girl (with 2 passengers) in the left hand lane drove into the side of the rear bumper, claimed he'd cut into her lane as he joined (almost impossible unless you're doing it purposely, I've never managed it in the same van, even with trailers on, it's easy to stay in your lane). The only damage was a light scuff on her bumper and a bent mud flap on the van. Both vehicles insured with Aviva, which naturally we thought was a good thing as there would be less faffing between companies arguing out liability.
Unfortunately though that just allowed Aviva play it in the way that worked best for them. So once they'd received a the personal injury claims from her side (£22988 across the 3 occupants), along with a letter from her doctor, not only mentioning this injury but also the 3 previous 'accidents' she'd had that month they decided that the best course of action (rather than looking at a fraud case against her) was to fail to tell us that the case was going to court so that we couldn't fight it, leaving it to go 50/50 and obviously Aviva getting the excess from both parties.
The total damage claim for both vehicles £0.
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Ellis
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
User status: Offline
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Pardon my ignorance, but are they allowed to take the case into the courts without your attendance? Or at least offering you the opportunity to be present. Perhaps that is only if you were contesting a case which would give you a criminal record.
I've had it with insurance companies, they're all a bunch of terrorists. I tried going up against Privilege recently via the Financial Ombudsman but the case went nowhere.
Something needs to be done about the diagnosis of 'whiplash' before this spirals even further out of control.
People seem to be cashing in on 'industrial deafness' now too. Even harder for a doctor to prove if the patient is telling the truth.
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Steve
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
User status: Offline
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I thought they were cracking down on it, something about people only allowed to use dr's approved by the insurance or something
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Ellis
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
I thought they were cracking down on it, something about people only allowed to use dr's approved by the insurance or something
Sounds like a step in the right direction. Doctors used to hearing the fabricated stories would, hopefully, have some clever ways to catch out the fraudulent claimants.
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Gary
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Nov 06
Location: West Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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Thought they were on about binning whiplash claims off at low speed impacts?
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Mike
Organiser: North West and North Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 20th May 06
Location: nr. Skipton, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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That may be right. Looking at the details it was the end of 2010 when she hit my brother so it wasn't particularly recent.
We have beat a whiplash claim since but I assume that was more down to the ridiculous nature of the claim rather than any change within the claim process. Basically a vending machine I was moving fell on a car. She claimed to be in the car at the time despite my brother and I seeing her walking over from the doors we'd just brought the vending machine through 
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