Rear end shunt !!! (1 Viewer)

Minxy

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Aug 22, 2007
32,488
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E Yorks
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149
MH
Carthago Compactline
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Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
Oh, yes, did you installed LED bulbs, plate holders etc, etc, basically anything that didn't come as original standard spec from the manufacturer even extra spec'd at time or ordering. All that will happen is the MH will likely go to auction or a breaker and they'll just strip it anyway ... think you might have to leave the steering wheel in though!
 

Darcar

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Oct 27, 2016
28
11
East Devon
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Mercedes Vario
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Since 1975
Really bad luck & I feel sorry for you guys, glad you went hurt.

Even if your insurance company does write it off, I bet it will be sold on to somebody who will repair it and resell it!
These vehicles are high value & looking at yours,it will be well within the repair window of a back street repair garage...
it would be interesting to follow your vans future.
All the best Darcar.

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donnkim

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Jul 29, 2012
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Really feel for you.
Similar thing happened to us years ago. Took 12 months to finally get sorted. Be careful nobody strings you out. We had to keep getting specialist reports to show it couldn't be repaired. When they finally decided it was a write off they disputed the valuation. We had owned the motor home only 19 days. My legals were worse than useless. They knew they would be paid at the end so I am sure they helped string it out.
Good luck
 
Apr 25, 2014
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Really bad luck & I feel sorry for you guys, glad you went hurt.

Even if your insurance company does write it off, I bet it will be sold on to somebody who will repair it and resell it!
These vehicles are high value & looking at yours,it will be well within the repair window of a back street repair garage...
it would be interesting to follow your vans future.
All the best Darcar.

We bought a car a few years ago for £2000 from a friend. In very good condition for an old car and would have gone on for years. We had it a year when someone drove in to us and, of course, it was a write off, but strangely enough the insurance gave us £2000 for it. The insurers arranged for it to be towed away. When the garage came to take it they told us that it was being taken to a local garage and would be repaired and sold on. So - we bought it back for £1300 after it had been repaired and MOTd - so we made £700 out of it. It did go on for quite few more years. Was part-exed and then passed its mot again and was on the road for another year before being scrapped.
 

JockandRita

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Aug 2, 2007
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@FIDGET. Sorry to read about your predicament Terry :( however, like others, I am pleased that neither of you were seriously injured as a result. (y)

So much great advice above, with very little to add, if any at all. All the best with securing a complete write off, with a realistic value, and expenses included. (y)

Good luck with it all,

Jock. :)

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Aug 18, 2014
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Take out you gassit , spare hab battery, GPS, satellite, in fact EVERYTHING that you fitted. If it goes, it all goes with it, leave NOTHING left in it. Even if it goes for repair all these things are vunlnerable to light fingers. Even suck out the diesel if it has enough in it. all these are of value to YOU.
As @GWAYGWAY said even if they want you to take it somewhere to be 'assessed' or even they want to pick it up either don't let them or insist on them coming to the van as if it gets taken & then written off none of the items will still be in it if you ever managed to see the van again !
 
Mar 17, 2014
50
53
Redditch England
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30,558
MH
Van conversion
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2005
Wow what a bump! So much advice and sympathy.
Might I add two points that I learnt after a working life employing several contractor, supplying their vans that travelled UK and Continent. Vans got bent quite often, and surprisingly not often my chap's fault! Before van gets towed away, especially if there's a chance they'll repair it, get witnessed reports on tyres and how new they are. I've had vans in a police compound for a week and found the fairies had been and stuck old wheels with smooth tyres on my van!
Also my experience, the insurance want to pay what the van is worth if you sold it.
You didn't want to sell it, you need a direct equivalent from a reputable dealer. So watch the markets and enquire with dealers that you trust (if possible)
Anyway,good luck, you two deserve it!
 
Aug 21, 2014
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Hi @2spritelyislanders ,
Many thanks for your kind offer ,but all ok at this end,yes agree overdue meet up, we might need a little time as so much to sort out at the mo, but will be in touch.
Terry
Ok, hope you get it all sorted without any stress.

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OP
OP
FIDGET
May 7, 2011
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Just a quick update,
Today after 4 attempt's the assessor has been,
he thinks on first view, it might be a write off , as we all thought ,looks like new roof or very expensive repair complete new rear panel etc & garage floor, new side panel all the way down the van. plus chassis member & cross member & internal bits including bed frame & base, kitchen cupboard frame plus quite a bit else.
So now wait until he prices it all up & reports back to insurance company.
We are now sad that the possibility of losing our trusty moho , but not sure we will or would want her back after that sort of repair , think we might always see the bits they've done .
Thanks for all the replies.
Terry
 

Blue Knight

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Aug 7, 2017
5,232
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Globecar Summit 640
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2016
Terry,

With a list like that I would desperately have to get rid of it.

A new van is the only way forward.

Good luck,

Andrew
 

joka250

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Jul 29, 2017
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Just a quick update,
Today after 4 attempt's the assessor has been,
he thinks on first view, it might be a write off , as we all thought ,looks like new roof or very expensive repair complete new rear panel etc & garage floor, new side panel all the way down the van. plus chassis member & cross member & internal bits including bed frame & base, kitchen cupboard frame plus quite a bit else.
So now wait until he prices it all up & reports back to insurance company.
We are now sad that the possibility of losing our trusty moho , but not sure we will or would want her back after that sort of repair , think we might always see the bits they've done .
Thanks for all the replies.
Terry
I feel sure that if we experienced what you have then like you we would have very mixed emotions but we are certain you will be better off with a replacement. If they don't write off do not accept that press them hard. You are the boss here, the insurance company are employed by you, be firm and follow your head not your heart. All the best.

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JockandRita

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Aug 2, 2007
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Terry,

With a list like that I would desperately have to get rid of it.

A new van is the only way forward.

Good luck,

Andrew
I feel sure that if we experienced what you have then like you we would have very mixed emotions but we are certain you will be better off with a replacement. If they don't write off do not accept that press them hard. You are the boss here, the insurance company are employed by you, be firm and follow your head not your heart. All the best.
I totally agree Terry. I'd be desperate to get shot of it too, and start with a new slate................but without suffering any loss.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. (y)

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 

Rob and Val

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Oct 17, 2010
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Missed your original post, @FIDGET. Really sorry to hear that your lovely MH has been so badly damaged and hope that everything gets sorted out soon. Also hope that you and your wife do not suffer any long-term health problems from this.
 
OP
OP
FIDGET
May 7, 2011
4,797
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T Line 785
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motorhoming since 1979
Missed your original post, @FIDGET. Really sorry to hear that your lovely MH has been so badly damaged and hope that everything gets sorted out soon. Also hope that you and your wife do not suffer any long-term health problems from this.

Thanks @Rob and Val ,
We were a bit worried , re whiplash as my wife has had neck surgery about 10 years a go , but she seems to be OK , as for me I was convinced that I did not have a problem , but over the last week I seem to have a bit of a stiff neck ( a bit uncomfortable , don't think it's in my imagination) so reported it to the insurance co , just to be sure . I'm not in to claiming for no reason .

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TerryL

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Mar 5, 2010
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@FIDGET get it checked out, whiplash can take a few days to become evident and although it probably won't turn out to be serious a medical opinion will save any more hassle later if it does develop.
 
OP
OP
FIDGET
May 7, 2011
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@FIDGET get it checked out, whiplash can take a few days to become evident and although it probably won't turn out to be serious a medical opinion will save any more hassle later if it does develop.

Yes , thanks Terry, already got a doctors appointment 2 weeks time. We had the wife checked out at Tavistock A&E ,on the day of the accident.
 
Aug 26, 2008
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@FIDGET get it checked out, whiplash can take a few days to become evident and although it probably won't turn out to be serious a medical opinion will save any more hassle later if it does develop.

I agree, and confirm that a course of physio was required to make sure that my neck regained full movement. I had whiplash due to a rear shunt when my car was stationary at red traffic lights and got hit by a van that braked too late. I had recurring neck pain episodes for about 10 years. The Ministry of Justice is pretending that whiplash is a myth and wants to cap claims to keep the insurance industry happy. It might only be a soft tissue injury, but it is real and deserves adequate compensation like any other physical injury caused by negligence of the other driver.

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movan

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Just been on short break & got shunted by Refuse truck,
not happy !!! , damaged rear panel , roof & n/s Panel . Inside floor of garage crushed & kitchen units & cooker on the n/s pushed 2 inches forward & twisted .Transversed bed frame smashed ,internal walls split & twisted.View attachment 198314 View attachment 198315 View attachment 198316 View attachment 198317 View attachment 198414 View attachment 198415
View attachment 198414
View attachment 198415

Only had time to read opening post ... but sending you both and Asbo Dog a big sympathetic hug. :( . That is heartbreaking .. bugger bugger bugger. :(
 
Apr 28, 2013
3,682
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Have just come upon this thread and so,so sorry to hear of your stressful accident.
Your van does look sorry for itself and I feel sure a replacement will be the way to go.Sorry also on your dear wife’s birthday.
Hopefully will be resolved quickly and you are soon back on your travels.
With regard to the truck,an empty dustcart is a heavy vehicle in construction before being loaded,double skinned and with the momentum downhill,it must have been a shock when he hit you.
Good luck with a speedy resolution to all this and I hope neither of you suffer any more delayed symptoms.
 

Duck Truck

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Hi guys just seen this
hope everything is moving along as smoothly as it possibly can

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Jul 5, 2013
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The Ministry of Justice is pretending that whiplash is a myth and wants to cap claims to keep the insurance industry happy.
I don't think that is correct. It is accepted that whiplash exists. The problem is the number of people (often involved in fake accidents or ones at very low speeds) that make false claims for thousands of pounds when they don't really have whiplash at all. Because it is soft tissue injury the diagnosis depends heavily upon the patient honestly reporting the pain they are in. It is therefore very difficult to detect the difference between a faker pretending they are in pain and a genuine sufferer who is in pain.
 
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joka250

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I don't think that is correct. It is accepted that whiplash exists. The problem is the number of people (often involved in fake accidents or ones at very low speeds) that make false claims for thousands of pounds when they don't really have whiplash at all. Because it is soft tissue injury the diagnose depends heavily upon the patient honestly reporting the pain they are in. It is therefore very difficult to detect the difference between a faker pretending they are in pain and a genuine sufferer who is in pain.
Agree 100% and would add that fake claims add to our insurance premiums. A real problem is that the genuine and decent people such as @FIDGET don't like to claim as they are put off by many of the reports. I have been involved in2 rear end shunts, both times i was pushed to claim for whiplash. First time i had no symptoms so no claim second time strong symptons so claimed. Some of process made me feel guilty but i persevered. I say quite strongly if any symptoms at all you must claim.
 
Jul 5, 2013
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Agree 100% and would add that fake claims add to our insurance premiums. A real problem is that the genuine and decent people such as @FIDGET don't like to claim as they are put off by many of the reports. I have been involved in2 rear end shunts, both times i was pushed to claim for whiplash. First time i had no symptoms so no claim second time strong symptons so claimed. Some of process made me feel guilty but i persevered. I say quite strongly if any symptoms at all you must claim.
Agree entirely. I hope nobody thinks that I was suggesting that there was anything "fake" about the claim made by @FIDGET , or any other funster, because that was not my intention at all.

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Aug 26, 2008
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I don't think that is correct. It is accepted that whiplash exists. The problem is the number of people (often involved in fake accidents or ones at very low speeds) that make false claims for thousands of pounds when they don't really have whiplash at all. Because it is soft tissue injury the diagnose depends heavily upon the patient honestly reporting the pain they are in. It is therefore very difficult to detect the difference between a faker pretending they are in pain and a genuine sufferer who is in pain.

OK, I will downgrade that oversimplification, although the general feeling among the political class seems to be that whiplash is a myth and does not merit compensation at all. For example a former Home Secretary:

"Whiplash is an innovation of fertile legal minds which has no real foundation in medical knowledge. Everybody knows the vast majority of whiplash claims are completely unjustified. I support any measures to eliminate soft-tissue injuries." Jack Straw in the Gazette in June 2016

The Government/ MoJ's main focus is still on tackling the alleged "compensation culture" which is in turn based on gross exaggeration by the insurance lobby about the alleged excessive number and cost of whiplash claims from RTAs. This is not evidence-based policy making because insurers consistently refuse to disclose the actual claim statistics to independent researchers.

This is an extract from the 2017 Queen's Speech:

"Civil Liability Bill

This Bill will crack down on fraudulent whiplash claims and is expected to reduce motor insurance premiums by about £35 per year. The Bill will ban offers to settle claims without the support of medical evidence and introduce a new fixed tariff of compensation for whiplash injuries with a duration of up to 2 years."


The government has since back-tracked on the assertion that insurance premiums will reduce by about £35 per year, by reducing that estimate to about £16 per year which is pretty negligible in the wider scheme of things and more difficult to prove or disprove. In 2013 the Government said the UK is the whiplash capital of the world and whiplash claims added about £90 per year to insurance premiums. December 2015 - Car insurers say they are facing a fraud ‘pandemic’ - but the industry’s own figures show that claims costs have actually fallen 29% since 2010, - premiums go up. So which number is the real one?

Undoubtedly there are gangs operating the crash for cash scam and there are fraudulent or exaggerated soft tissue injuries but the cost of such claims to the industry may well be overstated by the insurance lobby to get what they want from the government.

Instead of cracking down on the "claims farmers" who advertise on TV and cold-call the public to generate whiplash claims to sell on, or the insurers themselves who rather hypocritically have generated millions of pounds of additional revenue by "selling" RTA claims to solicitors in exchange for referral fees, the MoJ has decided to restrict or deter the injured claimants' access to justice by seeking to impose fixed tariffs for damages for low level injury claims and pushing all injury claims under £5000 (which covers nearly all whiplash caused by RTAs) into the Small Claims Track in the Courts so the defendant insurers legal costs will be slashed too.

Anyway I am retired now and out of this game. I just hope I won't have another no-fault RTA and need to claim compensation because next time it is going to be much more difficult.
 

Puddleduck

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@FIDGET get it checked out, whiplash can take a few days to become evident and although it probably won't turn out to be serious a medical opinion will save any more hassle later if it does develop.

After my accident I had x-rays taken of my neck at the insistence of the hospital. the x-rays showed disc damage and a very minor fracture quite clearly. Well worth having it checked out and if I ever have the misfortune to have another accident (which I really hope never to have to go through) I will go and get a check over asap.

It was because of the x-rays I was able to claim for personal injury. Had I just ignored it I might have made the injury worse. My personal injury payout wasn't in the multiple thousands !!!
 

MillieMoocher

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Slightly off topic but taking @Puddleduck comment into account...

I used to be in The insurance industry and at one time was responsible for claims settlements, including non motor personal injury.

I know the MOJ helped by introducing a fast track portal for non contentious smaller claims, but I would say that even after that on 99% of occasions the third party solicicitors costs were more than the compensation award to the third party.

I think the worst I saw was £750 to the claimant and £13,000 to the solicitor. And that was after we got a costings expert in to negotiate their costs down. The irony was we’d have paid out up front without any problems, the lawyer was just milking it for his own sake.

All reasons why I left the shark infested waters...

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Northernraider

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That's a shame :(
Hope you get it settled ok ...like others I'd be hoping they wrote it off I'd never be happy with it being repaired
 
Nov 12, 2015
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I wonder if they can strip the old body off and build a new one on. Base vehicle is probably OK including chassis, cab, engine so would be cheaper for insurance company but not sure its a viable option.
 
OP
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I wonder if they can strip the old body off and build a new one on. Base vehicle is probably OK including chassis, cab, engine so would be cheaper for insurance company but not sure its a viable option.

Hi @MichaelT
I don't think it would be financially viable.
by the time & cost ,that they dismantle it off the chassis , then reconstruct the new body etc , that's if they could get the new parts from Swift .

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