head on collision with foreign car on wrong side of road in ireland

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slick666

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I’m hoping someone can give me some advice. In October my father was involved in a head on collision car crash with a foreign driver on the wrong side of the road. Guards/ambulances/Fire brigade all attended the scene and details of all parties involved were noted. To say it’s been a nightmare since then is an understatement. My dad’s insurance premium has doubled today in a renewal letter ( they said its doubled as he has made a claim ) and his no claims bonus has been reduced. We don’t understand why as shouldn’t his insurance be claiming off the foreigners insurance to compensate my dad’s car? insurance company gave my dad the market value of his car but any car for sale in the south east of Ireland was dearer than what they gave dad so he had to fork out extra money for the car. The insurance company have not paid the fire brigade bill and the county council are saying they will take dad to court if not paid soon. Dad has been out of work as he broke bones in his hand, he is again attending physio in the hospital today. We consulted a solicitor but to be honest he is doing nothing. He told me to contact the insurance company myself to ask specific questions about the fire brigade bill!!

As you can see there is a lot going on and it just all seems very unfair to my dad, especially since he has never been in an accident in his life, he is such a careful driver and it wasn’t his fault the other driver was on the wrong side of the road. My dad drove around a countryside bend and bang, the car was in a head on collision. It seems the foreign driver has gone home scott free and dad is left with the mess to deal with on his own ( because why has his premium gone up and his no claims bonus reduced if the insurance company claimed from the foreign drivers insurance as they should be).
 
it was a Dutch registered car so it was their own car.... thank you for replying, we are at such a loss with all this!
 
In relation to the fire brigade, I would try to talk to the council and explain the situation and ask them to put any demands on hold pending sorting this out.

Is his insurance up for renewal soon or was this a communication from them noting his premium would rise?
 
slick666 said:
My dad’s insurance premium has doubled today in a renewal letter ( they said its doubled as he has made a claim ) and his no claims bonus has been reduced. We don’t understand why as shouldn’t his insurance be claiming off the foreigners insurance to compensate my dad’s car? i
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A no claims bonus is a no claims bonus, not a no fault bonus. Your father has made a claim and so it normally follows that the bonus is lost.

It sounds like your father initiated a claim with their own insurers and not directly with the other party's insurance company in the Netherlands. Was there a reason for this? Regardless, your insurer will likely seek to recoup their costs from the other party's insurer, but that may take time. If they are successful, the future loading they apply to the policy may not be so bad.

As for the fire brigade bill, did the insurers give a reason? If fault has been agreed by both insurers as lying with the other party, have them send the bill there.
 
What level of fire brigade cover was included with your father's motor insurance policy?
 
Has your father claimed for personal injuries against the driver of the other car?

Was the other driver insured?

Presumably in the EU, it should be feasible to make a claim against an insurance company in another EU country.

The Dutch tend to respect the law so he probably was insured.

slick666 said:
We consulted a solicitor but to be honest he is doing nothing. He told me to contact the insurance company myself to ask specific questions about the fire brigade bill!!
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If that is the full story, then change your solicitor. If you are using an old friend of the family, he might not be too bothered.

Most personal injury solicitors are proactive and would be pursuing this for you.
 
Unfortunately there are no winners when it comes to motor accidents. Even if you are insured and at no fault as your Dad is in this accident, there is an emotional, physical and financial cost to each party.

Your Dad’s insurance company may decide to claim from the Dutch company but they may decide it is too much of an effort or cost too much, so their assessor may decide it is easier to just pay out on the loss of the car and leave it at that.

My friends had a fender bender in France and informed their insurance company. Their claim was settled on their insurance despite the other party being at fault, their insurance company said it wasn’t worth it to pursue the French side. They were very bitter about it.
 
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