Bumped Car with Towbar at Lights - No Damage?

at91 on 09/12/2018 - 18:34
Last edited 09/12/2018 - 18:52 by 1 other user

Just need some advice concerning a little bump that happened today:

I was waiting at the lights with a few cars in front, the car directly in front broke on an orange. I tried to brake behind him but ended up bumping his tow bar at around 5kmph. There was no visible damage to his car (not even a scratch or dent), and my front number plate had bent little bit due to his tow bar which I'm not too concerned about (again no damage or scratch on my front bumper/ I dont think it even touch my front bumper yet). I took photos for peace of mind and his car was a relatively new Ford so I'm not expecting to be taken for a ride for already existing damage.

The driver took a picture of my licence and got my details just in case and he was calling the police to go to the site and after 10-15 mins no one came so he just said he will contact his insurance for the claim. I'm just curious what I might expect to hear back as a potential consequence? I took some photos for peace of mind but It's my understanding that hitting a towbar can cause some structural damage.

If you could provide any insight about this, I would be grateful,

Thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • pjetson on 09/12/2018 - 19:06
    +2

    Yes, hitting a tow bar can easily cause damage that might not be obvious. You'll just need to wait from the other party to get a quote.

    • at91 on 09/12/2018 - 19:09

      Thank you, i have comprehensive insurance as well. there is no damaged of my car so i dont need my car to be fixed. Sorry this is the first time i have involved into the car accident and i do not know what i should do

  • myusername on 09/12/2018 - 19:09
    +1

    and this is why i've always had a tow bar on the back of all my vehicles as it protects your car a little.

    can't see how you would've done any damage to his car.

    the cops won't come unless the damage amount is above a few grand, cant remember the amount off hand.

    i reckon he just got your details for peace of mind

    • at91 on 09/12/2018 - 19:11
      +1

      I have check very carefully with his car and my car and took some photos as well. my front number plate only bent a little bit backward and that is all. no broken or scratch or dent for my car as well as his car.

      • myusername on 09/12/2018 - 19:14

        honestly if you did hit them at that speed i really doubt you've done any significant structural damage to the vehicle.

        one of my vehicles was a 4wd and over the period of 10 years would've had half a dozen people do what you did to my car.

        i always felt sorry for the other person as they'd get cracked bumpers, broken grills and yeah bent number plates.

        best of luck with it anyway.

    • pegaxs on 09/12/2018 - 19:43
      +2

      the cops won't come unless the damage amount is above a few grand

      It has nothing to do with estimated costs. Police wont attend a traffic accident unless there is a reason to, ie: drugs/alcohol affected driver. Death. Trapped in vehicle. Major fluid spill. Traffic needs diverting. Leaving the scene without swapping details. Aggressive behaviour. And so on.

      NSW Police FAQ on crash attendance.

      Police will attend and investigate traffic crashes meeting the ‘Major Traffic Crash’ criteria. That is where: (Nothing about damage costs)

      Victorian Police attendance requirements

      Please note that if no person was injured in the accident and all involved parties have exchanged name and address details, Victoria Police will not normally make a formal report of the accident.

      QLD Police requirments

      A police officer is required to attend the scene of a crash only when one of the 'police attendance criteria' is met. (No mention of damage amount)

      (And no one cares about WA, Spackbace :P ps: it's $3000 damage and you can self report on the police website. Police may still not attend.)

  • pegaxs on 09/12/2018 - 19:29
    +2

    the car directly in front broke braked on an orange.

    OMG! call the police! Don't they know that orange means "speed up".

    my front number plate had bent little bit

    That's ok, there is a thread here that will help with that.

    he was calling the police to go to the site and after 10-15 mins no one came

    Police don't care. Or did someone die? Were you being unreasonable or threatening? Possibly self reporting that they didn’t run an orange light, and as everyone knows, you run the orange, and then get straight on OzB and complain when you get the ticket.

    If you could provide any insight about this…

    Do nothing until a request for repairs or the other insurance company contacts you. Then contact your insurance company and send them the photos you have of the damage (or non-existence of it) they are claiming. Let them sort it out. That's what you pay insurance premiums for.

    • at91 on 09/12/2018 - 19:45

      thank you for your comment , i will wait until they have made a claim from their insurance. this is the first time i have involved into the car accident and i was scared that they went to the repair shop and made up expensive bill and want me to pay for it.

      • pegaxs on 09/12/2018 - 19:57
        +1

        No problem. Just wait to see what they come up with. They may go home, have a look and decide it isn’t worth chasing up. If they do follow up, don’t deal with them, but be polite and remain calm. Just tell them you will need all the information and you will hand it over to your insurance and leave it at that. Don’t answer the other parties questions or admit to anything. Only answer what you have to.

        Once they contact you for payment or their insurance company does, just call your insurance company and give them all the information you have and what you have been given. Let your insurance make the determination if the guy is jerking their chain or not. If he is being a douche, they wont tolerate his shit.

        Once it is handed over to your insurance, if the other driver calls you, don’t say anything (but still remain clam and polite) and just refer them to your insurance company if they require further information.

        "I'm sorry, I really cant help you with that. It has all been handed over to my insurance. If you like, you can contact them and they will give you the relevant information. Thanks for calling."

        • at91 on 09/12/2018 - 20:01

          thank you very much for your advice. I will shall do that. i am really appreciate for your help

  • serpserpserp on 09/12/2018 - 20:02
    +1

    I'm sorry but I can't possibly answer until I get an MSPAINT diagram outlining the OPs scenario.

    • bdl on 09/12/2018 - 21:06
      +11

      done.

      https://imgur.com/a/0faU9sh

      • pegaxs on 09/12/2018 - 22:40
        +4

        Ahhh, the hero we need, but not the one we deserve…

        Your MS Paint drawings are certainly on point, bdl.

        • bdl on 14/12/2018 - 20:50

          Why thank you, good sir.

  • JimmyF on 09/12/2018 - 20:03
    +1

    the car directly in front broke on an orange

    Which is what the law says you do. STOP unless unsafe to do so.

    • pegaxs on 09/12/2018 - 20:10

      shhhh, Jimmy… Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story… :D

    • Almost Banned on 09/12/2018 - 22:48

      In this situation is appears it may have been unsafe to do so as they were rear-ended by Andy

      • JimmyF on 10/12/2018 - 08:22

        Just because Andy rear ended them, doesn't mean it wasn't safe for the car in front to stop. Andy might have bad brakes, might have not been paying attention or most likely speed up before realising the car in front was stopping.

        Did anyone rear end Andy? Nope…… So the car behind Andy could stop in time, the car in front of Andy could stop in time, just Andy couldn't stop in time.

  • JIMB0 on 09/12/2018 - 20:36
    +1

    You're lucky the police didn't attend. They may have given you a fine for following too close.

  • Ugly on 10/12/2018 - 08:57

    I was hit from behind in a similar incident. Everything looked OK, but a few minutes after driving away my muffler dropped down due to a broken mount
    So yes, there can be damage that is not obvious at the time.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join