Can they get away with this??
7 months later he gets a call from his insurance company telling him the police have put in a claim against him. This is for damage to the offside rear.
A) The police themselves stated there was no damage
B) He did not hit the offside rear
C) It was 7 months ago!
It seems to me that they have reversed into something and have decided to pass blame to somebody else.
Can they really get away with this?? How can you argue against the police??
Answers:
My best ideas have already been stated by others: Sending police letters to insurance, getting attorney, in other words, doing anything possible to fight it. Equally, as others have said when involved with the police, it can be a loosing battle.
Also, if insurance is worth much, they will want a report stating the date, of the time of day this was supposed to have happened, etc. I would let them know they have no business paying under the circumstances.
Best of luck to you and your brother. Let's face it, of all people to hit, the only ones that might have been worse to hit would have been a police supervisor or a D.I. Really, much better luck from here on to both of you.
Speak to CAB or get a lawyer. Police have their own laws and you won't win with your word against theirs.
does he still have a copy of the letter this would help
i dont think so good case.
If the police are claiming for damage they would have to produce documentation issued at the time and they will not be able to do this so they cannot claim
Ask the insurers to seek documentary evidence
it does beg the question how did they get his insurance details, because thye must have had reason to ask for them at the time and documented them?
If he still has the letter saying that no further action will be taken then take it to a solicitor or citizens advice.
Without it not much hope, ask to see photographic evidence of the actual crash and the damage.
He needs to take that letter to the insurance company. I doubt the statute of limitations has run out in just 7 months, and the police stating there was no damage at the scene doesn't matter much (he can always claim he found it later). However, the fact that he didn't hit the part of the car they claim was damaged means that he shouldn't have to pay. The insurance company should be taking care of this claim and he needs to work with them.
you cant and there nothing you can do i have a cop Friend and he think he walks on water at times hes wife got into an accident a while back and the guy she hit got locked up cus he was yelling at her go figure this one out
Produce all documentation (copies) to the insurance companies and this will not hold up. I am a cop and I dont think it will stand. Raw deal though.
yea they can get away with wat they want!the police are not always doing things in the law always they take the piss coz they know they can,not only r they useless in most cases but when u need them they take 4eva to get there and when u dont need them there always there if u know wat i mean!i just walk down my street or anywere and i get stopped they write down wat im wearing colours of my clothes search me for nothing every time i see the police they always stop me for no reaosn so i personally hate them!!! and that is wrong wat they r doing to u but u wont be able to do nothing about it coz who r they gonna believe u or the police who done it??im sure we all know the answer to that!goodluck anyway.
Believe it or not they (think) they can do & get by with just about anything! Guess what else WE THE PEOPLE PAY THEIR CHECK AND LET THEM DO THE THINGS THEY ARE GETTING BY WITH. People don't want to say anything anymore..they don't want to get involved or cause any havic that might cost them extra time or stir up stuff. I say we need to step in and up and say hey wait a minute you guys need to remember that you are being paid by the people to SERVE and PROTECT the PEOPLE. Not make your quota, or run EVERYONES licence plate that you get behind in traffic just because you're bored! Or blame someone else for your mistake.
this is a tricky one to answer, his word against the police? ask yourself who would the minority believe. the police are able to get away with all manner of actions by using there power of authority. good luck i hope your brother comes out on top.
Hey there i'd be talking to a lawyer because its a bunch of B.S 7 months down the road they deside to take action LOL they should have done something right then and there i know its not going to be easy to win against the police now did your brother have anyone with him at the time for a wittnes that may help or just take your losses it will be cheaper then trying to fight it but take that letter to a lawyer stating no further action would be needed and see what the lawyer has to say about it now i'm guessing to cop did something to his patrol car and now is blaming it on your brother cops are shady like that well not all cops but most of them
First of all, how old is your brother? Because if he's a minor of course they will try to screw him over! (I know this because I am a minor and I was driving my dad's car home from wall mart and a cop pulled me over cause my dad's car didn't have insurance, the cop had no reason to even check me out besides that fact that i look young! And now I'm on 5 months of probation and have a $200 ticket!) My advice is to get the paper work that states "no damage was caused" and if so, where he actually hit it. Also state to whoever is sewing/filing a claim against him, that it happened 7 months ago. Besides that, cops are not out to protect us, they are screwing us over like they did to me!
Hope he has kept the letter
The first thing he needs to do is find the letter they sent saying no further action was being taken .
Secondly , i find it hard to believe that it has been 7 month`s here's why , Every day before a police officer start`s his routine he has to do a visual check of his vehicle tyre`s/light`s / damage etc he then has to log that vehicle out and sign for it !
When the vehicle is returned at the end of the shift The next officer does exactly the same thing , these log sheet`s are stored on computer by the officer who is in charge of the issuing vehicle`s ,
As all Police vehicle`s are on a lease They get inspected every 3 month`s by the dealership they came from ! IE: Jenning`s/Reg Vardy etc , ( so this is an independent inspection from the police ) Any damage is then logged and repaired before it is returned to the police ,
The fact you are saying that is has been 7 month`s just cannot be true !
I would speak to your Brother and ask him the truth about what really happened as what he is saying just does not make any sense at all !
ask the legal dept in the insurance co to help him..send copy of that letter. has he any photos
I'd be inclined to send a copy of the letter stating no further action to whoever signed it (probably an Inspector) with a copy of the letter from your insurance company and ask how can this be? It seems they are trying it on. CAB or a solicitor should be able to advise you further. Good luck.
Here is the answer to your question:
Your brother damaged the police car. Simple as that.
The fact that it has taken 7 months for the insurers to contact you is irrelevant. What is likely to have happened is that the vehicle was repaired straight away and the insurer or claims handling agents for the police force aren't the speediest of companies and have only just got all their documentation in order and presentated it to your brother's insurers.
7 months really isn't a long time in claims. By law, you have 6 years to put in a claim for property damage.
I see this happen ALL the time at work. People "think" they caused no damage to the vehicle they have hit. Yet 99% of the time, they have caused damage.
Does your brother know for certain he caused no damage? Is he a qualified motor engineer? Did he get underneath the vehicle and check that the rear bumper was still aligned and attacthed properly? No he didn't
Modern cars are VERY easy to damage. Most bumpers are plastic, and can be damaged simply by pressing hard on them with your hand. Now imagine what damage your brother's 2 ton car could cause simply by rolling into one.
There is also a common misconception that "all insurance companies arte out to rip you off" Well they're not. And if your brother's insurance company have any doubts about the police's claim, they simply won't pay it.
However, do you really think a police force are going to commit fraud by putting in a false claim??
As difficult as it may seem to believe, your brother has caused damage to a third party vehicle through his own negligence. This is why he has insurance, to cover him when he makes a mistake!
The police are screwed. If they are involved in an accident (with or without blame) they cannot take any legal action themselves. They should have got an officer who wasn't at the scene to investigate the accident no matter how minor. They are trying to bully you into admitting guilt. Get yourself a lawyer.
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