Accident @ Dealership

Tyce · Post by **Tyce** » Sat Mar 30, 2002 2:43 pm

Hi Everyone,

I've had my 206CC for a year now and I was quite proud of the fact that it was immaculate.. However this all changed yesterday when I drove into the Peugeot Dealership's main entrance!

As I turned in from the same side of the road I didn't realise that there was a retractable post still up with a cone on it! The problem was when you turn into the dealership you cannot see the post and as you go up the ramp you lose sight of it.. In the diagram you can see the arrow, this is how I was approaching. The star marks where the post was!!! In the middle of nowhere! The problem is that you lose sight also because the A piler is so big on either side of the car and the ramp at the entrance reduces the view point! On top of all this there was a car approaching to leave the dealership so I moved out of the way thinking there was enough room!! how wrong was I!.. Anyway the result is that every panel on the driver side is damaged!.. I can't believe I have to pay for this with an insurance claim even though its not even my fault!!! :sad:

Lucky the damage is just panel work and I hope they are all replaced!! I'll have to get AA to check the work out!

Well its Easter weekend and depressed as hell! My car is in the garage and I don't even want to drive or look at it!

And finally they told me to come today to get an estimate for the body work!.. Anyway I get there (I didn't particularly wanna go as u can imagine).. anyway I'm told the people are not there!! TYPICAL!

Now I have to wait till my French Beauty has its face lift!.

Thanks for listening (reading) to me venting!!! :sad:

..............-..........-
..............-..........-
..............-..........-
.............-............-
...........-...*............-
.----------..................-------
-> -> ->

------------------------------------

PS Sorry about the crap diagram!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Tyce on 2002-03-30 13:49 ]</font>

lizolinni · Post by **lizolinni** » Sat Mar 30, 2002 5:03 pm

Hi Tyce
you have my sympathies. That is dreadful. I did the same to my corsa with a small lethal concrete bollard that stood all on its own in the church car park. Pouring with rain, had parked and forgot that the bollard was to the left passenger side of car with horrible consequences. I too had to claim on my insurance. I have been very very careful with my cc. You must be gutted. Still only thing to do is think positive and look forward to when it is mended and beautiful again.
Liz :sad: :sad: :sad:

rob · Post by **rob** » Sat Mar 30, 2002 6:09 pm

I would suggest you go down to the garage with a friend and a tape measure.

Take some photos of the area and also of the height of the bollards and cones (using the tape next to them). Draw a scale diagram also. The more info you have NOW the more likely you will win.

Submit them to your insurance company and tell them you hold the garage responsible. They will then fight it for you.

The garage may just cave in as they dont want the hassle on their insurance

Worth a try.

Post by **Lyndon** » Sat Mar 30, 2002 7:04 pm

Hi Tyce,

sorry to hear of your mishap :sad:

Hope you get a good out come and be back on the road very soon.

cheers

Lyndon

mellers · Post by **mellers** » Sat Mar 30, 2002 8:58 pm

couldn't agree with rob more if it is not your fault DONT pay! get em tyce, sick em, don't let their bad design entrance hurt your pocket!
Full sympathy, but can't stand to see you pay for their mistakes!
mellers

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 2:31 pm

Tyce

Not meaning to upset you further but you wont get any where with blaming the dealership...
As you were driving and the bollard is a stationary object it's deemed that you should be fully aware of where your driving.
If you do try to blame the garage bear in mind that they may claim the cost of the damage to the bollard on your insurance.

I know it's a bummer but imagine if it was a small child in place of that bollard...

Alex LS · Post by **Alex LS** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 3:59 pm

A small child wearing a traffic cone?

Nice image

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 7:07 pm

thinking of chris's post .......

in november 2000, the supermarket where i work had just been open for a few weeks. around the edges of the car park was a low level (about knee height)steel barrier that used to be painted black but since the store opened had been painted quite a bright blue (corporate colours).

anyway, one night a guy who owns a 106 quicksilver came in complaining that he had reversed into the barrier as he didn't see it the previous evening and damaged his bumper and wanted to claim for the damage from myself and also said that he thinks it should be painted bright yellow.

basically i told him that the barrier had been there for years and was also a lot brighter in colour to what it used to be. he was told that he was free to claim against our insurance if he wished but i did point out that i could claim against his insurance for any damage caused by him.

never saw him again

derek

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 7:11 pm

then there was a day when i watched a woman reversing her rover metro into a parking space (in a new car park at the front of the store). i don't know what she was doing but she rammed right into what was a bright blue metal bollard - every space and around the entrance to the car park had the same bollards.

she left some impression in her bumper and tailgate - let's say i had to walk away

derek

col · Post by **col** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 10:29 am

Sorry but i agree with Chris, and cannot see why it wasn't your fault.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 11:36 am

Tyce, being an ex-metropolitan policeman myself, I do agree with Rob entirely. If you think your not responsible it is always advisable to take a tape measure to mark out the scene (or if not use your feet to measure in feet or strides for yards), draw a comprehensive diagram as possible listing all obstructions at the scene and as many pictures as you can from all angles (and especially the view a driver would see of the scene through the front window of a car as well as outside the vehicle).

I would if you can, sign and date each page of any notes and pictures you make as these will form your original notes taken for legal purposes.

The liability/degree of liability to each party has to hinge upon the visibility of the post in proximity to your vehicle driving towards it and whether it is reasonable for you to have seen the bollard in time to have taken the necessary avoiding action (taking into account the visibility and any obstructions at the scene).

Just a footnote on a seperate issue, of course, as you are probably aware, in any event, most insurance companies nowdays require drivers not to admit liability at the scene,(even if an accident may be partly their fault).

Really sorry to hear about your bad luck and I hope you get on the road soon.

Robbie.

Tyce · Post by **Tyce** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 12:54 pm

Thanks Robbie for your constructive comments.. I've taken pictures at different angles and roughly measured the distance where the bollardretractable pole is situated across the entrance (Approx 7ft greater than 1 meter).

The fact that when you approach the garage there is a small brick wall and a bush obstructing your view and when you turn in if there is a car approaching you to come out of the entrance then there isn't enough room to move to your side (which you don't realise).

What was funny was the next day when I went back to the garage as I left and was waiting to turn... I saw another 206cc approaching me to turn into the entrance (it was a girl having a test drive) anyway you could see the saleman in the car saying to stop in the middle of the road as there was enough room to fit both car side by side at the entrance.

What doesn't help is the fact that there is a cone covering the retractable pole which in some ways hides the fact there is a solid object underneath!

Thanks to some of thr people who posted their kind thoughts.

I should be getting an estimate of how much the repair is going to cost today.

Regards,
Tyce

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 6:19 pm

Tyce, of course, the other main point that comes to my mind is the reason why there was a cone over the retractable pole in the first place? (which is significant in itself).

Is there a history of that particular dealership having experienced mishaps due to a badly sited, poorly visible retractable pole?

Maybe an employee themselves have had an accident moving cars around the forecourt? - even more telling.

Had someone, i.e. an employee at the Peugeot dealership, placed the cone over the pole in perhaps a failed attempt to make it more visible?

Perhaps some of these questions could be answered which may prove useful to you.

Robbie.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Robbie on 2002-04-02 17:23 ]</font>

Tyce · Post by **Tyce** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 7:11 pm

To answer your question Robbie I was told by one of the sales people that the reason there was a cone over the pole was because someone else hit the pole and damaged it so that it would fall into the floor. I was with my Dad and he heard the whole conversation. So I guess there is some history of someone hitting the pole besides me!

Thanks again Robbie for your comments which have made me think about things.

Tyce.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Tue Apr 02, 2002 10:03 pm

Again Tyce not to upset you but you won't get anywhere.

If you feel like doing something then try and get the garage to remove the post so that this wont happen to anyone else in the future

Chris