Well, only 11 days after purchasing my first car, I have pretty much written it off in an accident. I was under my friend Norman’s supervision, but I took a roundabout (rotary in American English) too fast and then lost my footing and hit the accelerator pedal rather than the brake pedal. The car went into a steel crash barrier and uprooted some of it!
So I am not best pleased. My insurance is only third party, so they won’t cover the damage to the car, only the crash barrier. The damage to the car, once we were able to open the bonet (hood), was pretty bad, the engine had moved to one side. I had hoped that it would be a case of replacing a panel, but I think its done structural damage.
With the help of Gemma’s Dad we were able to tow it back to my house, where it now rests.
Here are some pics…
After we’d pushed it out of the road!
The roundabout is in the top right corner.
Oh no!
Sadly, I can tell from there that it won’t be a cheap job to sort, although it won’t be a write-off (mostly due to you having no comp insurance). As I’ve had a few dings in my time, I’ll help you find a body shop to get it sorted at if you like.
On a side note – no L plates? Naughty boy!
Thanks Rich!
The accident happened on private property belonging to Associated British Ports, not the public highway, so the L-plates issue is kind of a non-issue!
“The accident happened on private property belonging to Associated British Ports, not the public highway.” – It could have been a Criminal damage issue, as they didnt give you exspress consent to be there, also be glad there was a steel crash barrier, as the Key Clamp one would never have stood up to the impact, and you and Norman would have been swimming.
Hope you and Norman are OK
We are fine. Doesn’t Criminal damage require that the defendent show “intent”? I didn’t intend to hit the barrier.
I am going to let the insurance pay for it and suffer the consequences next year, since they think it will cost £400.
As for the car, I have found one with a good body but a duff engine, so I am going to do a swap this weekend with a friend of mine.