shouldn't my insurance company be doing this

[jdlover]

... for me?

 

my policy covers me 3rd party for driving any other car.

i was driving my friend's car and he was passenger.

 

a 3rd party entered the motorway and came right across the 3 lanes and collided with me.

 

we swapped insurance details, and i reported the incident to my insurance company.

 

after a week, i rang my ins company to see what the next step was.

 

they said i should speak to the 3rd party and/or their insurance company to find out what was going on.

 

is this normal? i thought my ins company would be chasing them?

 

thanks in anticipation

 

les

[Endymion]

Nope. Your insurance company will only cover the damage to the vehicle they insured which you were travelling in, if you caused the damage.

 

It is up to you to obtain any recovery or repairs for the vehicle from the third party's insurers.

 

You may have legal expenses insurance on your policy which you might be able to utilise to get a solicitor to do the work for you.

[Mossycat]

As Endymoin says, the clue was in your OP.

 

"my policy covers me 3rd party for driving any other car"

 

Your policy covers you for third party, so if you cause an accident your insurers will deal with any third party claim made AGAINST you, if the accident is not your fault then everything is up to you to sort out, unless you have legal expenses, in which case they will do it for you.

 

Mossy

[sailor sam]

Write to the third party directly. Inform him that you consider him to be liable for the damage caused as you belive he was at fault. enclose an estimate of the damage to your car and advise him/her to forward a copy of your letter to his insurers if he wishes them to deal on his behalf. Give him 14 days to send you a cheque as per estiamte or you will commence legal proceedings without further notice. Add that you reserve the right to hire a replacement car and add this expence to you un-insured losses. In reality, you will un-likely get a payment that quick but you should hear from the TP's insurers.

 

If you are lucky, he will be insured by one of the big companies (Churchill ect) who will deal with your claim directly (and provide a courtesy car). They do this to encourage you to re-new with them in the furture as it makes you think they are top notch.

 

As you have already been advised, TP dosn't cover your vehicle, only damage to a TP if you were at fault.

 

__________________

Please Note

 

The advice I offer will be based on the information given by the person needing it. All my advice is based on my experiences and knowledge gained in working in the motor and passenger transport industries in various capacities. Although my advice will always be sincere, it should be used as guidence only.

 

I would always urge to seek professional advice for clarification prior to taking any action.

 

Please click my scales at the bottom of my profile window on the left if you found my advice usefull.

[JonCris]

If you have legal expenses insurance on your own policy they should deal with any uninsured losses you've incurred ............. even though you were not driving your own vehicle.

 

Legal expense insurance is a stand alone policy

[jdlover]

thanks a lot for your help guys, much obliged

 

les