question re car accident

G

galwaymum

Registered User
Messages
12
Hi all,

Looking for a bit of advice please.

A few months ago, while driving home from work, a young man crashed into my car. Thankfully neither of us was seriously hurt but he did do damage to my car (crashed into drivers side and hit car on the front tire, scraped paint work and body work). He was very clearly in the wrong and by pure chance there was a Garda who saw the accident take place. The Gard took both our details and asked if we were happy to sort it out between us.The Garda told the young man said that he was in the wrong and that he should sort damages with me. I was happy to do that, and the young man was more that happy to do it as he didn't want to go through the insurance.

I told him I would get a price on the car and contact him. I got an estiamte on the damage of the car which came to €300(local mechanic that I know, nothing on paper) That 300 included works on the car and car hire for a day.
I gave the young man this price and he paid me the 300 shortly after. He asked for a receipt and I gave him a receipt to state that he gave me the money. As far as I was concerned that was that over and done.

I have not yet done the works to my car. I have a young baby and my partner and I are in the middle of buying our first home and we are spending every spare second working on this house. I was assuming that it was up to me if and and when I was to fix the car. The young man is now hounding me for a receipt for the works done to the car and the car hire. He has rang my phone on a few different occassions and text me to say that if i don't produce these receipts that he will assume that my claim of 300 is fradulent. I am so angry and upset about this. I have not told him yet that the works have not been completed and I did say that when they were completed I would send him receipts. At this stage I feel he is being really arrogant and nasty. He paid me the 300 without question and now he is saying my claim was fradulent. I am so incensed about this. I was so nice to him the day of the accident and I was happy not to go through the insurance as he said he would prefer to sort it out between us.

I would just like to know if I legally have to give him these receipts? They will have my details on them so why should I have to give him a copy of my receipt. He has already paid so I dont know what the problem is. I am so angry since he text me and claimed I was fradulent. I wish now that I had gone through the insurance. He was in the wrong, he paid for the damage but now he is making out that I am fradulent.

Sorry for the rant and going on. Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks all.
 
He gave you the money you asked for to get the car fixed, you used the money for other purposes. He may have a point!
 
He is hounding you over €300 ?? He is very luckly to be getting off so lightly, if you put it through the insurance and use one of their approved garages it problably going to double at least! Maybe suggest this to him.
 
I dont see why you should have to show receipts, he damaged your car and paid up. If you dont want to repiar your car the 300 should at least be seen as a way of offsetting the depreciation of your car due to the scrapes etc.

Tell him to stop hasseling you, you are not obliged to send receipts.
 
You can use the money for whatever you like.

To take a more extreme example:
Say he wrote off your car and paid you the agreed value.

You would be under no obligation to replace the car.

You could decide to give up driving altogether.

It is none of his business.

Do you by any chance have the name or number of the guard that witnessed the crash?

If so, I would contact him and report what is going on.
 
Hi all,

Thanks for info.

To be honest it's not about the money. I do feel that he did get away lightly and had I gone through insurance he probably would have had to pay more but I did feel bad for him on the day.I also feel that I was extremely nice to him at all times when alot of other people might not have soo nice. He seems to forget that he was the one who crashed into me and was not driving carefully.On the day of the accident he told me and the Garda that he had been involved in similar accidents before and that he could suggest a few different mechanics. I told him I would get my own.

And another point is that I actually have not used the money he gave me for any other purpose. I have it in my account and the purpose of the money is to fix the car, I just have not had the chance to yet.
 
You dont have to account for how or if you used the money. It is no ones business except your own.
 
Hi Callybags,


I was actually going to contact the Garda and tell him this but was thinking it was a bit extreme. Maybe I should to this.

Cheers
 
Id say whats happening is that someone has told him that you could have just pocketed the money and then could still decide to make an insurance claim and pretend you never got any money from him.

Did you give him any kind of receipt? If I were him I would have asked for a receipt stating that this amount was in 'full and final' payment for damage to car caused by himself on such and such a date.

I would think thats all thats happening, he is paranoid.
 
Hi truthseeker,

I did give him a written receipt saying that he paid me 300 euro for the damage to my car. i signed and dated the letter. That's all I gave him. I have no intention of keeping the money and then going through insurance. As far as Im concerned he has paid me the money and i am happy with that.
 
galwaymum said:
Hi truthseeker,

I did give him a written receipt saying that he paid me 300 euro for the damage to my car. i signed and dated the letter. That's all I gave him. I have no intention of keeping the money and then going through insurance. As far as Im concerned he has paid me the money and i am happy with that.
Click to expand...

Well if youve given him a receipt then thats your bit done, its none of his business what happens to the money - ignore him and/or let the guard who witnessed it whats going on.
 
Tell him there are 2 options
1 - He stops bugging you
2 - You return the €300, get your receipt back, and then take it through the insurance.

At this point, I'd be tempted to take option 2 regardless.
 
Seagull said:
Tell him there are 2 options
1 - He stops bugging you
2 - You return the €300, get your receipt back, and then take it through the insurance.

At this point, I'd be tempted to take option 2 regardless.
Click to expand...

Or option 3 - put it through the insurance but tell them he paid you 300 euro already and let them deduct that from the claim.
 
Ring the guy and explain that you haven't had the chance to get the car fixed; that you are happy with the sum he paid you and that you have no intention of causing him any problems with his insurance.

It sounds like he's concerned that you'll come back looking for more cash, seek personal injury or both. I feel that a quick call to him will put his mind at rest - from his perspective you are being evasive and this is obviously concerning him.

The money is yours to do with what you please, as it was your property that he damaged. If you chose never to get your car fixed, that is entirely up to you.
 
Hi Leo,

Just wondering what OP is?

Cheers

Answer
OP = Original Poster
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Leo said:
He has handed over €300 and has no protection from the OP also pursueing through the insurance.
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How can the OP go through his insurance when no insurance company details were exchanged. People whose cars have been damaged like this can often be viewed with suspicion because the antics of a few using it as a way to extort money tend to tar the rest with the same brush.

I agree with posters who say this young man is paranoid - he's told his story to someone else who has filled his head full of worry that the OP is one of those who'll take him to the cleaners by claiming away.

If it were me, the next time he contacts, I'd offer him that note to say that the €300 is full and final settlement. If he rejects that then I'd say that this invalidates the original arrangement because he's clearly not comfortable going through this informal channel, so his €300 will be returned, he'll be required to give his insurance details and a claim on his insurance will ensue - his choice.

I wouldn't threaten the gards - not relevant as the Gard had no issue at the time of the accident and it might escalate the situation.
 
You can do what you like with the money. Ignore this guy and let him do whatever he likes. If you want to drive around in a damaged car ,thats your business.

You have enough things to worry about without taking on this guy.
 
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