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Oh No, I Think I May Have Killed Her


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#1 Gaffer

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 10:51 AM

First things first, i'm okay with not even a bruise on me. :(

I was coming home from Portsmouth last night and when i got to Exeter it started to chuck it down with rain, so i put my wipers on and carried homeward bound. Just before Ashburton it stopped raining and there was not many cars on the road which was lucky because travelling at 65-70MPH i hit a puddle and my poor mini aquaplained into the crash barrier where the hard shoulder would have been then bounced off and hit the centeral reservation leaving me stopped in the the outside lane. There was nobody infront of me at the time but a couple of cars behind me, far enough away to be able to slow down to avoid me whilst spinning, but close enough to see what happened. I am pleased to say that not one of those cars behind me bothered to stop to see if i was alright when my car came to rest, just simply pulled into the inside lane to pass me.

The car was towed away last night and i couldn't get any pictures, will put some up to see what you guys think of the damage and what they might do to it. I'm fully comp and valued at £1300 (not agreed)

From what little i saw last night it looks like the front drivers wing is smashed, the wheels point in different directions, smashed lights front and back, new front bumper needed, the rear drivers corner is pushed in. The car starts alright, just got to hope the subbys are okay and all the other major bits.

#2 paul6266

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 10:56 AM

dude sounds bad but atleast your ok, the insurance may write it off tho because of the extent of the damage if the rear quarter is stoved in, basicly work on 1/3 of the value of the car if the repairs go over this sum then its a cat c i belive

#3 miniman retford

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 10:57 AM

Oh no but glad you ok !

#4 WiredbyWilson

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 11:09 AM

Damn!!

Maybe don't claim on the insurance as they will certainly write it off if you only have a market value policy :(

Keep us updated and shout if we can help in anyway.

But most importantly try and get the mini home so the insurance co don't get hold of it!!

#5 Gaffer

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 11:09 AM

She was only put back on the road in october (after 6 years off it) and been insured for two weeks. She's been nothing but expence and trouble for the last couple of weeks but just starting to run nice.


will try and find the place it was taken to and get some pictures, have to look around for a good repair place now, my insurance suggested Nationwide but i think they are WAY to expensive.

#6 Gaffer

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 11:15 AM

Damn!!

Maybe don't claim on the insurance as they will certainly write it off if you only have a market value policy ;)

Keep us updated and shout if we can help in anyway.

But most importantly try and get the mini home so the insurance co don't get hold of it!!


I was contemplating not getting them to repair her, but if i dont claim do i have to pay for the police recovery? dont fancy shelling out £150 + £20 a day.

You can help me out though Dave if you fancy letting me borrow your car??? Probably best not to ask in this topic though :( :)

Will keep you all updated.

#7 tuktuk

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 11:38 AM

cant believe no-one stopped! i think thats a discrace :( anything could have gone wrong there and it wouldnt take much to atleast ask! shoking

glad youre ok :)

#8 Guess-Works.com

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 11:42 AM

Nationwide


NOoooooooooooooo.... Bunch of f****ng cowboys.... all they do is bolt on panels, any more than that and they will instantly write it off...

Get it to a MINI or Classic car specialist....

However, from your description I suspect it won't even make it to a body shop.

But you're ok which is the important thing....

#9 Gaffer

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:07 PM

Nationwide


NOoooooooooooooo.... Bunch of f****ng cowboys.... all they do is bolt on panels, any more than that and they will instantly write it off...

Get it to a MINI or Classic car specialist....

However, from your description I suspect it won't even make it to a body shop.

But you're ok which is the important thing....


I said to the insurance that i would take it to a mini repair place, i dont like nationwide and thought a local garage could be cheaper and better. Just got to find a trailer and someway of getting her on to it.

TukTuk, someone did stop about 20 minutes later travelling in the opposite direction, they saw the car in the centeral reservation and stopped but by then i was on the hard shoulder having a post crash fag to calm me down.

#10 tahitigirl

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:13 PM

Ahh no thats no good at all! Glad you only got a few bruises.

I'm really appauled that no one stopped!!! Sometimes I'm disgusted with the general public that no one stops to help people.

We have become a country of ignoranace.

Good luck with all the insurance and everything though.


#11 Charliezminiz

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:14 PM

ohhh nooo!!!! glad your okay mate, such a disgrace that no-one stopped to see if you were alright it would have only taken 20mins of there time to wait with you untill help arrived!!
i agree get the car back so the insurance co dont get it assess the damage yourself to see how bad it is. if its only panels/minor parts (lights etc) and the engine is ok you can pick the up relatively cheap then find someone who no's about minis to fit them.
as said before though minis can be fixed easily life cant.

#12 AdamBilsy

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:17 PM

She was only put back on the road in october (after 6 years off it) and been insured for two weeks. She's been nothing but expence and trouble for the last couple of weeks but just starting to run nice.


will try and find the place it was taken to and get some pictures, have to look around for a good repair place now, my insurance suggested Nationwide but i think they are WAY to expensive.

the nationwide in plymouth actually send most(if not all) of the mechanical work to CarCheck Autos on the same estate.

#13 Gaffer

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:41 PM

She was only put back on the road in october (after 6 years off it) and been insured for two weeks. She's been nothing but expence and trouble for the last couple of weeks but just starting to run nice.


will try and find the place it was taken to and get some pictures, have to look around for a good repair place now, my insurance suggested Nationwide but i think they are WAY to expensive.

the nationwide in plymouth actually send most(if not all) of the mechanical work to CarCheck Autos on the same estate.


i dont normally venture to plymstock much so dont have much of a clue with carcheck/nationwide. My mate normally does the mechanical work but most of the damage is bodywork i think, the engine turned and got the car off the road okay. My main concern is the front subby and the damage to the rear, the front panels could be a good excuse for a flip front and engine conversion.

Would the insurance company pay for the recovery even if i dont claim for repair work? Then i could get the bits done on the cheap

#14 AdamBilsy

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 12:44 PM

She was only put back on the road in october (after 6 years off it) and been insured for two weeks. She's been nothing but expence and trouble for the last couple of weeks but just starting to run nice.


will try and find the place it was taken to and get some pictures, have to look around for a good repair place now, my insurance suggested Nationwide but i think they are WAY to expensive.

the nationwide in plymouth actually send most(if not all) of the mechanical work to CarCheck Autos on the same estate.


i dont normally venture to plymstock much so dont have much of a clue with carcheck/nationwide. My mate normally does the mechanical work but most of the damage is bodywork i think, the engine turned and got the car off the road okay. My main concern is the front subby and the damage to the rear, the front panels could be a good excuse for a flip front and engine conversion.

Would the insurance company pay for the recovery even if i dont claim for repair work? Then i could get the bits done on the cheap


Also you said about not liking nationwide, the main mechanic/fitter there used to work at albrights.

#15 Dan

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Posted 05 February 2010 - 01:02 PM

Please bear in mind that choosing to stop on a motorway is both illegal and extremely dangerous. It doesn't matter if you stop to help someone or not, you shouldn't be there. More often than not, any passer by who stops on a motorway to help only serves to put themselves in more danger. My wife has to deal with the results of this kind of thing and has seen more than one perfectly intact, good Samaritan's car destroyed in the resulting and inevitable pileup. It may seem heartless but remember that the people who were driving behind you at the time would have been just as shocked by the event as you were and at motorway speed they would have been a long way up the road before they had time to think about whether or not you were OK. They can't turn around, they can't reverse up the road. If something like that happens in front of you and the road is still clear enough to drive the best thing to do really is to remember where it happened, keep driving and when it's safe call for help. Ambulance response time in this country is 8 minutes. Call them and it's very likely they will be there before you could walk a half mile back down the motorway from where you stopped to where you passed the crash. You don't have anything to help people trapped in a car. You don't know enough to be able to offer them medical help. Even if you are a first aider, are you going to drag them out of the car and give CPR in lane 3 of an open motorway? What about rule number 1? Your car is not big or heavy enough to fend off traffic around an accident (unless you drive a fire engine, in which case you probably have the right tools) and you don't know how to park it properly to do so. The traffic wombles don't get that right so a passer by has no chance. It's very sad that people crash and get in trouble on the motorway and get stuck in their cars needing help but you or I as a driver passing them on the road have absolutely no chance of being able to help them. The profesionals will be there sooner than you think, if you stop and get out and start wandering about the motorway before there are any traffic controls in place you are almost certainly going to get hurt or killed.

If you find someone on the hard shoulder with their car destroyed on the motorway nearby and want to stop to help them, DO NOT let them wait in your car even if it's cold and raining. You might find it gets its roof cut off and you probably won't be insured for it.




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