If I'm back then something's gone horribly wrong...

[billblank]

I had a post moderated message when posted in the wanted section so I'll see if this works any better.

Thanks to a dumb muffin in a clio N838FWY is dead. The clio did not die uneaten either. Police have assigned liability and said very nice things about my reaction times and decision making. The woman was bumped and bruised and she dropped her phone. The back end of her car is kinda gone where the 8 went through it. My car was drivable, not even a punctured rad but the wing, bonnet and bumper means that it'll surely be a write off. If I had not "taken timely avoiding action with due concern for the safety of other road users" she and others would have been toast. Excuse me for saying this but somedays I am a driving god. 4.2m at 25ish mph and I picked the right way to go to avoid involving others and mitigated the impact, thereby saving her life. Her face would have stuck in the mind when she looked up and realised what she'd done. Her head would have gone through my screen I think.

BIll

[PsYcHe]

Ouchy... Glad everyone is OK.

Make sure you get some good examples of '8s from t'interweb to bump your claim up as much as poss, then go looking for a new one.

Or, you may find that the damage isn't all that bad and you could repair it with parts.

[Conan_the_Librarian]

Bill,

If it's her fault sue for replacement as it 'will' be beyond econimcal repair. Remember her insurance company do not buy the car off you, they compansate you for its loss. So when it's all over it's still your car. You want a replacement that is as immaculate as yours was before the accident with perfect running gear that has never had any issues and reflect the hours and money you have put into the car. They will send a loss adjuster. Bursting into tears as you talk about the tragic loss of your beloved motor sometimes helps!

PS
Sad abot the 'total' loss of the 8. But then again it could be a pheonix were it promoted to project status with a new 8 for daily driving!

[billblank]

She was turning right out of a T junction. She did not look, assumed that like the two cars in front I was going to turn left rather than go straight on. The two cars turned and I was about to accelerate when she booted it and then looked and jammed on the brakes in terror. According to the policemans tape I was approx 5.5m away when she moved. She hadn't noticed the oncoming traffic either so I was left with choosing to maybe flip my car trying to get up a bank in front of her into the field which I dismissed because of the oncoming traffic. I thought about just carrying on through her but that would have killed her, no great loss but I'm not that soulless by nature. so I decided to aim for the gap behind her she had made by moving forwards. Everything was slow motion and I must have moved the wheel too fast because I could feel the fronts lose grip. Instead of the normal scrsh noise of understeer it was a weird, slowed down tunk tunk noise as the tread deformed and pinged back again. Adrenaline is epic stuff. I was now committed to the manoeuvre and was about three metres from her car. According to the tyre marks from my turning the wheel I had begun the manoeuvre at 4.2m from impact. The car was understeering I was braking so began to modulate the brakes, the abs was not doing great. I felt the front bite and the nose began to turn. I watched my A pillar slowly creep across her car from the wing and along the door. It blotted out her screaming face just before impact. At that point I was reasonably certain that she would live. Her door was pushed in about a foot as my nose travelled along the car. It hit her B post and ripped that off the floor, the roof crumpled like wet cardboard, her window went white and exploded out like a slow motion firework and I watched her head bounce off the remains of the b post. the B post finally stopped moving and her car was flung into a field a few feet. I came to a stop still on the road. No airbag deployment. and we were fine. Her car absorbed the energy of the impact, the floor was torn across the rear footwells and pulled up like a sardine can lid. To me the impact felt similar to jumping onto a bed. I checked me, I checked the wife and she was fine so I got out and introduced myself to the young lady. I called her "dear". asked her name told her to stay still etc. all the things you should do. She told me her name but said that I might be wanting to call her lots of others. (admission of guilt).

Ambulance plod and fire much drama, much shaking, first time for me, I've walked out of gravel traps rolling a fag whilst behind me the shattered remains of a motorcycle lie in a crumpled mess like discarded washing. No problems then but now I couldn't keep still enough to roll one, very weird.

Once I knew that I didn't have to do anything and finished chatting to plod my wife and I were taken to hospital, neck and back are achey as hell this morning. I cried like a girl in the ambulance. That silly girl has no idea how close she came to death. I, unfortunately, am very aware.


I need photos from the meet of it looking good, please look Black, N838FWY THANKS

[Architex_mA8tey]

Hey Bill - sorry to hear
The detail only makes one realize just how bad it could have been for everyone involved - glad that all are ok and as you say it just goes to show how strong these bigger cars are, makes one feel a little safer as we eat up the miles for sure.

I found a few pics which I think show yours ok - spot the car!
Cheers and good luck with finding your next 8
Neil

[billblank]

£2420. Bah.

That matches Glasses retail price for a 96 on the forecourt with my milage and condition. What else can I do to her insurance company to compensate for my loss? Any ideas?

The buy back price is 9% of that if A8 parts are interested, though I have just sent them a preliminary shopping list out of curiosity. We'll see, I'm phoning round all the A8's in the country at that sort of price. I will drive a hard bargain if that's all I've got to play with. Theres one at boston audi that is up for 2999 but even on the phone they dropped 600 when I mentioned cambelt so £2k or less, what do you reckon?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1334089.htm

Bill

[thebluewhale]

Hi Bill

Sorry about accident and I'm glad everyone came out of it with only minor injuries.

I thought you had whiplash from the accident which had been documented?
If not get yourself and the wife to a specialist asap.

Don't forget the crash was not your fault and any additional claims for loss of earnings and personal injury should be covered by her insurance.
As you are a nice guy it may be hard to claim but it's not personal. Believe me, she would probably do the same to you if the roles were reversed. You need to make the best of the situation otherwise why pay (or maybe why are we paying) the extortionate insurance premiums.

I know not everyone will agree with this but I have driven for 20 years without a claim which has cost me about £10,000 in insurance premiums. Somebody is losing out and it's probably us.

That's my 2p anyway

At a 9% buyback is it not worth repairing N838 or is it not feasible?

Hope it works out.

Steve

[Night Train]

Hi Bill ,
Sorry to hear of your hassles, I had an insurance company try that on me with my 1968 Rover P5B Coupe, £500 for a first offer and a write off, however, searching through various 'classic' magazines and forecourts and online, I got them up to £3500 to repair it and not write it off.

The same happened with one of my motorcycles when someone did a right on me without indicating or looking, ended up being repaired and ridden for a further 5 years before being sold on (given to a friend)

regarding the whiplash injury, do you have legal cover?, if not try a no win no fee arrangement (but watch for, and ask about disbursements)

I urge both you and your wife to visit your GP, Hospital, specialist as soon as is reasonably possible regarding your whiplash injury (having suffered this) as a whiplash injury is worth something between £1500 and £2500 on average, and the insurance company will know this, and are very unlikely to go to court, especially in the circumstances of your accident.

The thing to bear in mind is that insurance companies aren't charities, and like to make a profit for their shareholders, it's a question of striking the balance of would it be cheaper for them to settle quickly at a figure of near what you demand, or would the court/ lawyers/ expert witnesses costs come to more than this. Their first offer is nearly always derisory, do not be discouraged by it.

If you wish to PM me re the procedure having been through it more than once, feel free to do so.

Best of luck with your claim Bill.


Richard.