Bike crash, what to do next?

[SinceNow]

Hey everyone, im after some insurance advice after an accident.

I was riding home on friday night when a taxi that was on the other side of the road decided to u turn in front of me. With not enough time to stop, i went in to the side of the car then over the bonnet and landed in the middle of the road. The passages in the car said the driver didn't look before he pulled out and the police have charged him with undue care & attention. So his insurance should be coving the damages. The bike looks to be a write off but it wont be checked probably till monday. My gear held up really well which is why i walked away with only aches and pains. My lid hit the bonnet and has some damage so that needs replaced. but here is my question. Would the insurance company replace any of my other gear which has no visible damage?

Im gutted about my bike, its a 98 honda cb250. i bought it 2 years ago with only 1000 miles on it and in amazing condition. i know im going to get short changed with the settlement cheque for it and want to claim as much as i can.

Ive never claimed on insurance before so id appreciate any help about this.

[P.]

I reckon you'll get about £1000 ish for the bike.
Gear is "special damages"
Any injuries such as that sore neck you have get "personal injury"

Ive had a few insurance things now...most pass on to a solicitor and they deal with it.

Pretty simple, photos of damage and your accurate account of what happens will go very far.

You can always refuse the offer for the bike...and say you think its worth MUCH more, the "recent service you had in the garage" for £350 should have been factored in..im sure you had this done at my garage if its his fault screw him through the arse.

That said.. I dont really recommend you take my advice of adding things on top.. but you can state that its worth alot more, it was mechanically sound, absolutely nothing wrong with it, check the tyres though, they nearly didnt pay out for mine as my tread was extremely low.. i'd been using the wheel on another gs500 after the accident and thought crap, bunged a part worn on and boom, sorted

Good luck with it, but dont forget to mention it on your next insurance...they will rape you otherwise

[multijoy]

Ambulance chaser ftw. Have a flick through the back of bike, mcn etc.

You'll be claiming the cost of your kit, bike etc. from the other party, so you need not even get you insurers involved beyond the notification of an accident if you don't want to.

However, you may need to spell it out from the outset if you're not interested in pursuing any personal injury claim (I wouldn't discount it, but if you're only interested in kit and the bike, I wouldn't blame you) as it's taken as read that it'll be part of the settlement, and I think that's where the no-win-no-fee mob make their cash.
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'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[pinkyfloyd]

[P.]

[SinceNow]

Thanks for the advises guys, i really appreciate it.

The bike had new tyres put on it in september when it had its service. mechanically the bike was perfect and only had 9000 miles on the clock. I've been looking on the net for CB 250 and the going rate seams to be about £500 but they seam to all have over 25k on them.

If i can make up the lost money from the bike with claiming for my gear then ill be quite happy.

I am pretty stiff and sore, especially my back and neck. i will go to the doc's tomorrow for painkiller but im not sure about personal injury yet. If its easy then ill probably claim for it.

[CaNsA]

Dont forget to mention that you had "some brand new expensive phone and a portable 1TB hard drive and other stuff in your pockets"

Claim for everything mate, I know it sounds harsh BUT, the dude is a taxi driver, he drives for a living and should know better.

OH and dont worry, you are claiming on his insurance, not yours, so your NCB will be sweet

[Nai]

[c_dug]

My bike was IMO over valued by the insurer by at least a couple of hundred quid, and my bike 4 years ago was again IMO over valued by the best part of £1000.

I wouldn't worry too much about that part.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[dragstaar]

Right.

Personal Injury is where the moneyyyyyss is at. You fell right off the bike. This usually results in:

Whiplash (BIG)
Back injury(ALMOST AS BIG)
Joint Sprains
Aches and Muscle pains
Cuts and Bruises you may have
Psychological trauma (have you been put off riding? Do you Lose sleep reliving the accident? Are you afraid of anything on wheels? believe you me, it counts.

Any existing health issues will be flared. My existing neck injury meant my recovery time was longer, thus more monieees)

if you were incapacitated, no matter how long, you can claim costs:

Missed time from work
People having to look after you at home (This actually counts, i got paid for my mum's time)
Lost earnings (commission based work is calculated on average commissions)

Gear:

Helmet (must)
Any Gear that has even the smalles scratch. Remember, it was pristine before. they may not pay full amount, but it adds up. Put every friggin little scuff. And iff you came off, there WILL be scuffs.

Bike:

Be careful about claiming non-standard mods, esp if these were nto declared. (although i did claim an aftermarket exhaust with no issues)

Peripherals:

Phones (i carry 2)
MP3 players (I have the latest ipod. I know someone who bought a broken one on ebay just to show as his broken gear)
Watches (I claimed my Armani, which was genuinely broken)
these are easier for the Third party to disregard, but can be put forward.

Beyond all of this, remember that Personal Injury is where claims get big money. the more serious the injury, and the longer the expected healing time, the more the money.

I claimed for:

Personal Injury (back and Neck 9 months healing time)
Loss of earnings for 3 days
Incapacitation for 3 days
Driving Anxiety
Watch
Exhaust
NO DAMAGE TO BIKE

Total: 2768 quid. 2300 of that was personal injury related.

retained my NCD

[SinceNow]

I'm insured by a broker Devitt, i think the actual insurances is through Groupama Optima. to be honest ive never heard of them so i have no idea if they are any good.

Can they really put your premium up if its not your fault?

[dragstaar]

My claim was difficult, It took a whole fucking year. The Third Party was insured by Aviva, who are awful to claim against, because communication is so poor. The police report was also through the Metropolitan police department, who are awful at turning around the reports on time. And then my only witness fell through. he said he couldnt be arsed with court.

So there was loads of to-ing and fro-ing. If my witness had stood, or if the police report came through it would have been done in weeks. It was mainly turning down really shitty offers.

the way my commission worked was by providing 3 months payslips, and calculating average commission. I just gave them the 3 payslips with highest commissions (told them i was giving them the broader spectrum over a wider space of time ) My solicitor was really good, and if there was one thing i learnt, nothing is too small to claim.

If you cannot find the receipts for any damaged claim items, find it on the internet, and email them the screen dump. This will give them a figure to put on the claim, so all is not lost.

i didnt even come off the bike, and i claimed all that shit. I had someone change lanes into me. He did actually clip my ankle, but i claimed my back injury due to fishtailing. (was sore, but exaggerated) my existing Scoliosis helped back the claim.

Trust me, go through old medical files and pull out evidence of past injuries etc. Theres a lot of money to be claimed with personal Injury. take this evidence with you to the doctors appt that the insurance company send you to.

[Nai]

[P.]

[locked]

[SinceNow]

A wee update: so the insurance company dropped of a hire bike today. They gave me a Honda CBF 250 so im hoping in a few days i will be fit enough to ride it. I also had a look at my bike before they took it away. the damage is:

bent handlebars
bent forts
dent in tank
dent in clocks

The damage isn't that bad looking but probably still enough to write it off.

The insurance company want photos of my damage gear. My jacket, gloves, boots and backpack all have scratch and scuffs but aren't ripped so im still not sure if i can claim for them.

[dragstaar]

This is the way to think about it.

If it werent for the cunt that knocked you off, your gear would have been in the condition that they were in before the accident.

Any damage, no matter how small, if his fault. This is also how the insurance company see it.

Claim for every goddamned last thing. Even if they do not repair or replace it, they will compensate you a certain amount for it. For instance, a small scuff that wasnt there, which isnt worth repairing, they'll give you a £20 for. 5 small scuff on different gear, thats £100.

Just remember, NOTHING is too small to claim for. Let the insurance company decide if its too small. Put everything forward, dont filter anything out yourself. So many people think "oh i'll look like a cheap bastard if i try to claim for that". No, put the claim to the solicitors working on your case, and they'll tell you whether its claimable.

Keep all the damaged stuff until case is closed.

hope you get better soon buddy

[P.]

[Nai]

+1 to what Dragster said. Don't forget the armour in your jacket, gloves and boots may have been weakened by the blows they just took. How do you know know who good the armour is structurally now?

A minor comparison, used to play football a lot (before I realized it was a poofs game and went to rugby ). Any way, I used to be a nutter going in for every tackle. My shin guards took a lot of blows, but the was one in particular where I got deliberately stamped on. It looked OK, aside from a tiny tiny crack on the inside. No bother aye? Very next game a week later, the 2nd or third tackle I made it took a fairly light knock but split sharply up the line the little crack was on. Tore the skin and made a lot of blood and mess (it was minor, just torn skin, nothing broken).

Moral of the story, once armour has taken a heavy blow, you don't know how much it can take for its next blow. Do you want to wear it until you find out? Or do you want him to buy you new stuff so you have peace of mind?

[...]

Is your name Dave per chance?

I have a mate with the same bike, same accident details etc etc

[SinceNow]

[P.]

[dragstaar]

[c_dug]

BLD handled the bike side of my claim a few months back, the crash was at the very end of August and I had my new bike by the end of September I think.

They are paying out for the bike rental so it is in their best interests to deal with everything as quickly as possible.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[metalangel]

BLD dealt with my (currently unresolved) crash. They were excellent, unlike my broker (Swinton) who did almost fuck all, not even advising my actual insurer of the crash!

Courtesy bike was prompt though I had it a month while mine was repaired. Kept me well updated on everything too.
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Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt