Ask an expert

Hi, my work colleague is under 25 and was involved in a vehicle accident in the weekend. Her insurer (not AA) says that she will need to pay her excess, which is 'a lot' due to her age. Then there is no claims loss also.

She was hit nose to tail, from behind, on the motorway. The person at fault gave details, however although others stopped, she didn't take details of any witness, and police weren't at the scene (it is the first accident she has ever had, was very shaken up at the time so she was a bit naive about getting the information)

Can you please advise what recourse she might have or how she should respond to the insurance company? It is a lot of money for her, and to make it worse she will struggle over the xmas period to get to work, and around etc without the car (it is driveable, but only just).

Should she successfully be able to argue at fault with photos of her vehicle? Surely photos would show she is not at fault?

thanks in advance

Hi there,
In most cases the matter could be settled Insurance company to Insurance company and the excess taken from the claim.
However it is also common for the insurance company to ask for the excess to be paid in order to process any claim, and it is up to the individual to seek that amount back from the person responsible for the accident (worst case it may be through a disputes tribunal). If your colleague doesn't go through their insurance and dealt directly with the other parties insurance, then the excess would not be a problem and the no claims bonus still intact. If the other party doesn't have insurance then the excess will need to be paid and claimed back later (it does make life hard for the innocent party).