Pockman

3 or 4 weeks ago I had the misfortune of having a impact related arguement with a dog at 55mph on a public road...

Fortunately not in my Scooby, but in an old Rover 827 i have.

The owner of the dog admitted it was his fault that his dog was loose on a public road and his household insurance have been called in to settle the issue on his behalf (I'm not claiming on any insurance policy).

The Rover was repaired to make roadworthy, but also suffered some bodywork damage. When the engineer from the insurance company came along, I explained I still wanted to keep on using the car on a daily basis and didn't want it scrapped, he offered me a cash settlement and said that due to it's age/value this would involve 'writing the car off', but he also said that the car was still mine to own, drive and use (as it is roadworthy).

Question - having this insurance company write the car off, what effect does this have on future use of the car? I'm presuming I can still use, drive and insure the car in the future without any issues arising?

Any feedback on this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris.

simb 2

iTrader: (3)

You will have to inform the company that is insuring the vehicle, it has been involved in an incident. What they decide to do, you will have to ask. They may carry on insuring the car with no applicable terms or they will only insure it on a third party only basis. This all depends on the company and their flexibility.

simb

holmsey

Well first of all be glad the insurance company have paid out. When dealing with animal accidents, any legal action is brought under the Animals Act and it is often the case that the animals owner has a defence (too complicated to go into here, but mark my words this is a strange piece of statute). I have defended many such cases involving horses, dogs etc. Be pleased the insurer never passed it to a lawyer who knew what they were doing!
With regard to your written off vehicle, you must declare it as such to your new insurer. It will also be entered onto the insurer's databases as a write off. You must tell anyone who buys it from you it is a write off.
However, you have no obligation to accept the vehicle if you would rather accept it's written off cash value. What the insurer is doing is saying you can keep it- but bet your bottom dollar they have deducted it's value from your settlement. Some people prefer this- but make sure you ask for its full value and tell them to take it away if you do not.
Paul Holmes- Insurance solicitor.