Head on with a van- what to do now

**Potzman** · 18th May 2006, 12:51

So I had my first ever accident last night and now I'm left to put the pieces back together.
Was pulling out of the Cycletreads car park to head back up the road towards northcote and due to the cars parked on the side of road did not see a van coming down the road. Long story short the van hit me almost head on, I bounced off and bike got smacked over. Thanks to my great gear I am 98% fine but I wish I could say the same for my bike.

The kind guys( and gals) at cycletreads helped me up fed me a cuppa and brought my bike upstairs, they will be running it down to Spectrum later today for them to asses damage. I am booked on a ferry ( with bike) next sat 27th bound for blenheim as I am attending a course down there, I dont think there is much chance of getting the bike running before then tho.

What I want to know is if the damage is a little over a grand or less should I just forget about insurance and slowely get the bike going again, even if I go through insurance I will then get a black mark against my name for claiming.
Also I think the damage caused to the other guys van was just his bumper, am I able to just negotiate mith him a price to sort that out?

**Rosie** · 18th May 2006, 13:09

Mate, sorry to hear about the bike.
Main thing is that you are ok though.

If the damage to the bike is about the same as your excess it might be easier to bypass insurance. Getting insurance when you're under 25 is hard enough without having black marks against your name.

You could talk to the van owner about sorting out their damage privately. I had a workmate ding my car, and we sorted it out ourselves. I got a quote from a panelbeater, he agreed to it, and paid for the repairs once it was done.

You could recommend a panelbeater to Mr Van, they get an itemised quote for the repairs, you pay the panel beater, and the work gets done. That way the money doesn't disappear into Mr Van's back pocket, and he isn't worried that you'll do a runner and never pay for the work. And you know that the panel beater isn't some dodgy mate-of-a-mate of his who is going to take you for a ride.

Then you start saving your pennies to get your bike fixed up.

**Squeak the Rat** · 18th May 2006, 13:11

Bugger mate, it's usually the van drivers that didn't see the bike, not the other way around!

I guess it depends on your insurance cover. Personally I'd give another insurance company a call, ask for a quote over the phone saying you'd made a claim recently then stack that up against what you think the bike and van repairs will be. Find out how long till you get back to your current no claims bonus (if you have one).

In regards to negotiating with the van driver - that depends entirely on the owner. Most likely response would either be "talk to my insurance company" or "sure, I'll get a quote and you can pay that". Beware, even just a bumper can be expensive so be careful if it's "It should only be $xxxx".

Also check your policy. You might contractually be obliged to report any accidents. Up to you whether you do or not, but just be aware if it's there especially if you follow my advice above!

The bright side? It's only a bike and some cash. You're in one piece.

**XP@** · 18th May 2006, 13:21

If you do have to tell your insurers, but are planning to sort it out yourself, then make sure they note the claim "Without Prejudice". This will stop the claim from affecting no-claims bonus & premium. If you change your mind then you will still be able to claim if the $'s are too high.

**NotaGoth** · 18th May 2006, 13:34

Shit sorry to hear bout your accident, good to see you're okay though. Good luck with getting all the bits and bobs sorted out.

*kittie*

**Macktheknife** · 18th May 2006, 13:36

Glad to hear you're OK, shame about the bike but they are repairable or replaceable. Have you had your eyes checked lately? most vans are reasonably easy to see! lol

**WRT** · 18th May 2006, 13:41

Also take into account the cost of loosing your no claims bonus. If you are on a high NCB, then it could be saving you a lot of money each year on your premium.

**SwanTiger** · 18th May 2006, 13:49

Shit, not good to hear about your accident.

I've noticed lots of ZXR 250's are popping up on Trade Me occasionally. If you've got the cash it might be a good idea to buy one of the elcheapo's with high KM's and transplant the needed parts then sell the rest off to a wrecker (or on Trade Me) to recoup.

**The_Dover** · 18th May 2006, 13:54

Buy a lotto ticket.

Getting hit by a van and being unscathed, your luck may be in?

**Insanity_rules** · 18th May 2006, 14:18

Glad your OK but bummer about your ride. Good luck.

**steved** · 18th May 2006, 14:40

Originally Posted by Potzman

So I had my first ever accident last night and now I'm left to put the pieces back together.
Was pulling out of the Cycletreads car park to head back up the road towards northcote and due to the cars parked on the side of road did not see a van coming down the road. Long story short the van hit me almost head on, I bounced off and bike got smacked over. Thanks to my great gear I am 98% fine but I wish I could say the same for my bike.

What I want to know is if the damage is a little over a grand or less should I just forget about insurance and slowely get the bike going again, even if I go through insurance I will then get a black mark against my name for claiming.
Also I think the damage caused to the other guys van was just his bumper, am I able to just negotiate mith him a price to sort that out?

As per everyone else, I am glad that the incident left you relatively unscathed and that your body is in good post-accident condition. Always a bit of a shock how quickly things can turn to crap eh?

The way you tell the story about the van, it sounds like you pulled out in front of him meaning that getting him to pay for damages won't happen? Correct me if I read it wrong and good luck with the bill!

**iwilde** · 18th May 2006, 16:07

Head on with a van? Shit, most bikes that fall off the side stand cost more that a grand to fix. Main thing is that you're alive and well, a bike is just metal and plastic

**Mr. Peanut** · 18th May 2006, 18:26

Originally Posted by iwilde

a bike is just metal and plastic

TAKE THAT BACK!!!

**Potzman** · 18th May 2006, 20:23

Thanks for the input guys, yeah I think it was a combination of many things that caused me to miss the van( the fact I was pulling out blind from the car park was a major 1!)
Walked her down to spectrum, they were sorry to see the sad sight( especially considering they were the ones that did a check up on it that day and commented on the fact that it was the mintest 250 they had seen for some time)
estimated cost for repairs on the bike is about $2-3k so think I might just do the insurance thing, altho I do like Swanny's idea tho- good thinkin mate.
Will have to check up on the insurance premium as well.

Wish me luck!