Small accident

[paddiez]

My son was involved in a small accident with his motor cycle. A kid, no helmet on a smaller motor cycle lost control and skidded into my son. He said that seing as no one was injured he will pay for the repairs to my son's motorbike ,repairs are about �600.00. He mentioned that as no one was injured there is no need to contact the police or insurance as he will pay for the damages. My son accepted this offer and came home. The kid is now laughs at us when we request the cost of repairs. What can we do??

[Ethel]

How old is this 'kid'? If this accident happened on the public highway he was committing several offences but it will now be your son's word against his.

Your son is under an obligation to report all accidents to his insurance company, whether he intends to claim or not. Did he do that?

How long ago was the accident? It seems your son has played in to this boy's hands. With no record of the event, he is just going to deny it.

[paraffin]

1. If this happened on a public road you have 24 hours to report it to the Police.

2. Were there any witnesses?

3. Was there any CCTV at/near the scene?

4. Does your son's bike have any paint from the other bike on it?

5. Your son should inform his insurance company even if he doesn't claim, they could at least advise him.

6. How old is this other kid? Are his parents aware of what happened?

7. Have you considered speaking to your local Citizens Advice Bureau?

[paddiez]

My son has 3rd party fire and theft only, being under 25 and having his motor cycle for 8 months he cannot afford comprehensive. Ok ,now if he went his insurance he would be out of pocket,quite a bit. But he is a considerate driver,really. Now the kid and his family laugh at us. Our neighbors say ignore the whole event. What is the right thing to do??

[paddiez]

No witnesses,in an estate,side road but still a public road, Photos were taken, but only of the damage caused. (Sometimes I wonder if educating these kids in accident details is a waste of time)

[wishy123]

You can still go to the police as, although they won't be interested in the accident as such, it is still an offence for this 'kid' to fail to provide his insurance details. There is no guarantee that the police would take any action, but they may be able to trace whether the kid had any insurance if you know the full reg no of his bike. On the basis of your description of the incident I doubt whether he was insured , however if he was then you would be able to contact his insurers direct in an effort to get your money back..

His failure to pay for repairs is a civil matter and the police would not be interested in getting you your money . If he is uninsured, you are left with the choice of either pursuing him through the Small Claims Court or making a claim through the MIB. (http://www.miic.org.uk)

Either way, I suspect you have a long battle ahead of you with no guarantee that you'll get all your money back.