ABSOLUTELY GUTTED! ACCIDENT :(

Completely not my fault whatsoever.

I set off for work at 9.05am today, and literally had not even got 1 minute down the road before a car pulled out at a junction without even looking.

It was on Doncaster Road just outside Fosters Garden Centre at Thrybergh in Rotherham. There was a red Vauxhall combo van at the junction opposite Fosters, and i was just coming down the road at about 30mph which is the speed limit. I saw that he seemed to be edging out of the junction and had a feeling that he was going to pull out, and i was right, so i slammed my brakes on as hard as i could and swerved into the middle of the road hoping that he was going to stop when he saw what i had to do, but no, he just carried on and went straight into the side of me, pushing me all the way onto the other side of the road infront of a lorry! Luckily the lorry driver was very alert and stopped before i had even got to the other side of the road. It could have been a very different story if he had hit me aswell. I could be dead
The bloke got out of the van and said oh my god are you ok? I didn't even look i'm so sorry. He gave me all his details and so did the lorry driver just incase.

I phoned my family and within 5 minutes my Mum, Dad and sister were all there. 2 women at the garden centre came running outside after they said they had heard a loud bang, and phoned the police, so he came and had to stand in the middle of the road diverting the traffic, as my car won't even start up, or steer, so i was a big obstruction in the road. The recovery truck was here about 20 minutes later as we have tennants on our yard who do recovery and accident repair so that's handy. It took ages to get it on the truck because the car doesn't even move hardly, so they had to take the wheel off and try as hard as they could. Eventually they managed to get it on, so now it's waiting on our yard to be repaired or written off.
Yep that's right, a possible write off. They had a look around the car and said it had pushed the wheel and front wing back and the passenger door won't even open!

Luckily i am ok! The airbag hit me in the face, but i just have a bit of a headache really and can't stop crying
I've phoned my insurance company who were very nice when i was crying down the phone to them haha. And they've said get a quote when it's been looked at and then they'll sort it out with the blokes insurance company.
The damage is actually a lot worse than it looks in the pictures, but here they are.






I just keep thinking to myself that it could be a lot worse. I could be dead if it weren't for the quick response of the lorry driver.

Bugger!

Hope your alright Lucy, things tend to show up a day or 2 after the incident.

It'll polish out.......

Really shite thing to happen, good job you're ok though!

s**t me lucy thats awful! Glad ur ok! hope its not a write off as its such a great car!!!!

Glad your okay Lucy.
I can`t believe the guy gets out and says "i didn`t even look" - why the hell pull out in that case. ANyway, most important thing is you`re okay, nothing a good rest won`t put right.

Take care


PS Well impressed you took some photo`s, if it was me the camera might of been down the neck of the guy taking liver shots :evil:

What a complete jerk!!! Glad your OK. Such a shame about the Z!!

OMG! Really feel for you and your POJ, but the main thing is that you are ok. Hope things look better once the dust has settled.

aww.. such a shame, it looks halfway between ... too damaged for an easy repair, too light for a write off.

as long are you're ok everything else can be replaced - remember to hold your neck !

you never know.. it could turn into a positive you didn't even see coming

Oh no Lucy! So sorry for you sweetie, but as you said; at least youre ok (apart from a little emotional bruising which will soon heal!)

One place to consider for the claim is Europa Consultants (http://www.europaconsultants.co.uk/) A lot of the VX220 guys used to use them as a non-fault claim through your insurance will still tarnish your record. They will also guarantee a like-for-like courtesy car, which ofcourse you're entitled to. Maybe worth a shot as last time someone hit me, my insurance company (Churchill) were pretty crap and was stuck with a Ford Ka for 5 weeks... Not good for a 6'3" bloke!!

Some people say these companies drive up insurance prices, but im led to believe that they are actually used by the insurance companies many times!

That's a bit of a bugger!

Hope you get something equivalent as a courtesy car while it's being fixed/assessed.

Ouch !
Glad you're OK, that's always the most important thing, the rest is just steel and bolts....
Hope it goes well with the insurance company. IMHO, seeing the front wheel, it would be preferable that you get a full refund from the insurance rather than a repair (but then, i don't know how insurance works in the UK...).



(i need an ashtray.... possibly M seats ? well, just in case, you know....)

Thanks everyone.

They're 50/50 on wether it's repairable at the minute. I've spoke to Sytners in Sheffield and hopefully it's going there to be assessed and/or repaired. They've said they should be able to get me a Z4 convertible or a 335 Coupe while it's being seen to!

I am ok for now except for a headache! Could be worse, i could have been under the lorry if he didn't react quickly.

I will let you all know what's happening when it's got up to Sytners.

The guy who hit me was actually a really nice bloke so i couldn't even hit him :lol:

Lucy said:

The guy who hit me was actually a really nice bloke so i couldn't even hit him :lol:

Click to expand...

Some guys are ready to do anything to get the phone number of a nice looking lady, really....

Gutted for you, i hate when this happens. Main thing is your not hurt.

My girlfriend had her car written of a couple weeks back when a 76 year old woman went into the back of us at 40mph when we were stationary waiting to turn right.

sh*t!! sorry to hear about this but glad to hear your ok! well apart from the whiplash that is :wink: Make sure you get yourself to the GP today so they've got a record of it!!

Glad your ok, very similar to what happened to my ST before I got the Z4.
All I can offer is some advice from the experiences iv had over the time dealing with my claim.
1) Don’t trust a word he said at the roadside, he may seem like a nice bloke and admit to everything but as soon as the insurance is involved change his story, this is what happened in my case- MAKE SURE you have an independent witness who saw everything.
2) Try to get the details of a reputable claim management company, this way you can keep your insurance out of the picture and avoid paying excess along with being put in touch with specialist solicitors, independent valuations for your car and a similar spec courtesy car.
3) Do not expect things to be sorted out quickly, regardless of how simple it may look to sort out, don’t get any hopes up. For example my accident was on the 4th November and im still waiting for liability to be conceded by the third party insurer.
4) Think long and hard about whether you will want your car back, not only is the psychological impact of driving around I a car that you’ve had an accident in but no matter how good the repair it will never be 100% again, even down to creaky trim and rattles, you will know its not the same.
5) Make sure you document any injuries no matter how minor and get checked out by your gp if your not feeling well.
6) Make sure you reject both first offers on car valuation and personal injury because they will try it on.

Good luck with it, take your time and don’t let anyone push you into rash decisions, remember its still your car and you want the best possible outcome.

Lucy said:

Thanks everyone.

The guy who hit me was actually a really nice bloke so i couldn't even hit him :lol:

Click to expand...

No excuse, should of punch him then said "oh sorry, was stretching my arms and FORGOT TO LOOK"

I 'm sorry that horrible experince. hope it all works out

Glad you're ok and I know how you feel. Pieces can be replaced, but people can't. Pulling out of the parking deck earlier this week, turns right in front of me--some "nice" person had left a gap in the line going the opposite way and he squirted out without looking. Glad I was going slow.

People need to pay attention, dang it!!!!!!!


Anyway, as others have said, don't settle for first offer and get it fixed to YOUR satisfaction. Here in the US, you can choose the repair shop and I would definitely have the dealer do it.

Sh*t! Not good, I know how gutted I'd be, but bottom line is you're ok

Did the police take a statement at the road side? Did he admit liability to them? The main thing now is to make sure his insurance takes 100% responsibility!
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On a side note, if its written off... Can I have first refusal on your M-sport seats/wheel? :roll:

Paul