Rear Ended

[Jarv]

Just after some advice really before I contact my insurers on Monday. Had a bit of a coming together on the M25 yesterday. Usual story, someone panic brake's six cars up and causes untold problems further down the line. Not really that bad, could have been much worse, probably a new rear bumper and a paint on the front one. I stopped OK but the guy in a new X5 behind didn't and punted me into an old 5 series in front.

We all pulled over and I thought it was pretty straight forward, until the guy in the X5 said it was all my fault and he would be claiming off me. I'm not worried about that, he doesn't have a leg to stand on, what I wanted to know was who does the guy in front claim from? Me I'm guessing, but would the fact that I was punted onto him make any difference? I don't want to use up another of my claims allowed under my protected NCB.

TIA

Mike

[jeffw]

Almost certainly the guy infront claims from you. Your insurance could pass this on to the X5 but probable they can't be bothered.

[grizz]

TBH Don't bother with your insurance , use a no win no fee specialist as they will fight all the way on your behalf , where as you insurance are more likely to not bother and just pay the guy out in front ..
The guy behind was to blame so he will not have a leg to stand on. good luck and keep us posted.

[bobbler]

Guy behinds fault, firstly because he is driving a womans motor, and second because its his fault

[dazzer]

Happened to me years ago. I can't remember the details but the guy behind took the hit for the lot.

[BRETTCOLLINS]

Speak to the person in the 5 series, Ask him if he was hit only once or twice.

[rikrose]

Unfortunately, I've done this. In my crash last year, I punted the Mercedes E-class estate into the car in front. Basically, the car in front will put a claim in for your insurance who will happily pay out, but recover the cost as part of the cost of your claim against the guy in the X5. It doesn't end up as "your fault".

As for the guy in the X5 claiming its your fault, I believe Nelson Muntz put it best.

[Ads4]

Happened to me a couple of yrears again. Once the insurance compamies sorted out that I HAD stopped and was then propelled into the car in front by the car that hit me, the claim from the car in front and my claim were passed on to the insurer of the car behind me. Unfortunately she was hit so hard as well that she died at the scene

[quattrokid1]

IF the X5 hit you into the car in front then he wasnt paying attention!! ESPECIALLY UP IN AN X5 he can "see" further than you so he was travelling to close to stop in the time and SPACE he can see.

What caused the accident? you could all be to blame really as NONE of you stopped in time to avoid hitting the car in front.
You see it so often, riding the bootlid of the vehicle in front, they have no chance OF SLOWING down IF YOU NEED to brake urgently and with B7 brakes the X5 wasnt going to match these!!!!

You didnt keep a safe distance either if you hit him and if he has hit you hard enough to do that I very much doubt all you need is 2 new bumpers either. You could claim for whiplash in that case but probably not worth it.

What did the other cars do? stop as well? everyone should have each others detils for this I recon.

[Alps]

Jarv, something similar happened to me a good few years back.

I got hit from behind. BUT the lady who hit me was herself hit from behind first, and she got shoved into me.

In the end I was payed out by the insurers from the 3rd car. The argument being that if the lady in the second car had not been hit FIRST then she would not have been caused to slam into me (hope that made sense???)

Let us know how you go.

Ads, how bad a shunt was your incident that the lady died? Was she not wearing a seat belt??? I mean you were at a stand still right? If so, did her car crumple into yours that badly?

[derdle]

Sorry to hear about this punt jarv - hope you/passenegrs are ok. I'm sure the car can be fixed really easily.

The claims tend to cascade back up the line from one car to the next so that the pillock in the X5 ends up with all of it. I think you need to make it quite clear to your insurance company that no part of it was your fault as you had stopped and was then punted by the X5 into the car in front. This happened to me many moons ago.

Sadly the insurance companies see so many of these because these prangs are so common ... lack of concentration by the driver of the X5 and following too close (Highway Code - leave adequate room to allow you to stop in the event of an emergency etc etc).

Good luck tomorrow.

Paul

[Jarv]

Cheers for all your advice guys, it's all really good stuff. Only three of us touched, we all pulled over and exchanged details. TBH, the beemer in front that I connected with had a small chip on the bumper, and that was it. If there is any work that he needs doing, providing he doesn't take the pi$$, I'll probably pay out of my own pocket.

QK, take what you say on board, but from where I was sitting, I stopped, the guy behind didn't, end of story.

I think it does emphasize the additional distance that a heavy 4 X 4 requires to brake.

I had another look at the damage today and it seemd that the tailgate is also dented. Looks like I'll be giving Pentagon in Hatfield another ring.

I'll provide an update when I have one.

[Jarv]

Sorry to hear about this punt jarv - hope you/passenegrs are ok. I'm sure the car can be fixed really easily.

Cheers Paul.

Yes, everyone was fine thanks. I was on my own with my 4 & 6 year old girls. The older one took it emotionally badly, i think it brought back the memory of being in the car when her mum wrote off her Golf a few months back. So I had her crying and the other one insisting on doing a wee, all whilst trying to exchange details with the other two drivers on the hard-shoulder. I've had less stressful moments.

[derdle]

Jarv, kids must be feeling a bit tender with two bits of bad luck in such a short space of time. (you and the missus probably too!).

Claim on the X5 driver for causing emotional trauma to your daughters!

Paul

[Ads4]

Ads, how bad a shunt was your incident that the lady died? Was she not wearing a seat belt??? I mean you were at a stand still right? If so, did her car crumple into yours that badly?

Pretty bad mate. Car two cars in front of me was cut up and slammed her brakes on. The woman in front of me slammed in to her. I stopped and then got hit really hard from behind which wrote my car off. The lady behind was hit full force by a Range Rover that didn't even brake. She was in a Saxo that crumpled up unbelievably. She was cut out of the car but was pronounced dead at the scene. About three other cars joined the procession behind into the Range Rover, at one stage a yellow Megane went passed me on it's side!