02-September-2010

Foreign lorry driver hit our car

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Last Sunday I was travelling home from London on the M25 with my other half, was going past Heathrow airport when a Polish lorry driver decided to plough his vehicle into the side of our car! We were in the middle lane doing about 35mph (there was a long line of slow moving traffic due to an imposed speed restriction of 40mph), we overtook a lorry who was on the inside lane, and as about 3/4 of our car had passed him he decided to pull out into the middle lane,despite there being about 6 car lengths of room in front of him in the inside lane.

Well of course he went straight into the back of our car, scratching it all down the side and denting the back bumper as he dragged us along the motorway! I was in the passenger side so leaned out of the window and indicated for him to follow us to the hard shoulder. I might add that he only decided to do this when I got out of the car as if I was going to run across the carriageway and kick his door in!

At the side of the road he patted the damage to the car and in very broad Polish, "Is small car... I did not see!", to which my reply was "If it had been a guy on a motorbike you would have killed him you ass-hole!"

He only gave me his insurance details when a lovely lady pulled over and said she had seen what happened, he had simply not looked and pulled out into our car! She has kindly said she would be our witness - thank God there are honest people about!

I am so cross, luckily both myself and my other half are OK but the car is FUBAR, it could have been so much worse. Lorry drivers are a liability at the best of times, but the foreign ones drive like maniacs! Only 10 minutes before we had been cut up by a Portuguese lorry driver doing 50mph (in the 40mph zone). If they can't read simple signs (like how fast you should be going) and abide by the Highway Code (Mirror Signal Manoeuvre) they shouldn't be driving in this country!

Furthermore, since the accident we have been told we are unable to claim for the damage to the car. The driver did not report the accident to his insurance company and they have no record of the accident or the lorry. The lady that I spoke to at the call centre said that all we could do was to either contact their insurance company ourselves (which I have done by email already) and wait for a response or to have the repairs done ourselves and keep all receipts and then take the matter out with an independent solicitor.

She said that when people are hit by Polish drivers in this country, more often than not the case is never resolved. If an English man or woman had a RTA abroad the foreign police/authorities can contact the DVLA in Swansea and get all our personal details, but as the driver was Polish and has Polish insurance, due to some stupid EU regulation the British police cannot force the Polish authorities to trace this individual. How is this right?

By:Sarah

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Serves you right.You should'nt have gotten in the way of his lorry.Give us truckers a break.We own the roads not you..

Norbert Dentressangle 13-Aug-2010 22:46

I have been waiting 10 months for my insurance company to get anywhere trying to reclaim £300 excess which I had to pay after being side swiped by a foreign lorry driver who at the time admitted it was his fault in front of motorway police. I have now given up as my insurance company don't even answer my letters. phone calls etc.

patsymay43 11-Jul-2010 08:57

I was hit from behind by a bulgarian lorry driver on the m25 and he ended up pushing me along for about a mile before he realised I was attached to the front of him. I found the driver to be very rude and he blamed me for not driving fast enough when there was a car in front of me! I had a hysterical 14 year old girl in the car and he couldnt even care less.
This happened 2 months ago and my solicitor still has not heard anything at all from the drivers insurance. What is the likely hood of my claim being successful if I havent even heard anything yet?

Natalie 11-Jun-2010 16:42

I was hit by a polish lorry driver too on the M20 between junctions 5 & 6 coast bound 2 years ago, luckily a witness called the police as he thought I may have been killer, same thing as usual he claimed in broken English he didn't see me! the traffic was morning rush hours 4 lanes I was in the 3rd lane all traffic was doing around 60mph this driver decided to change lanes without any warning, he spun me around 6 time across 3 lanes of traffic and I ended up facing the wrong way on the hard shoulder.
Without legal cover I would have been knackered it turns out it was a Polish Driver, Italian company and a British hander ling agent, the Kent Police Sergeant wasn’t that helpful as she had seen this thing all too often on this stretch of road, no taco check, no vehicle inspection, no breath test.
Of course I had to produce all my documents to the local police station, the driver was aloud to leave the scene to catch his ferry. The whole sager took 18 months to finally be settled no compensation offered only pay out for the car.
The law has got to change for the British motorist, how many more drivers will have to be ki11ed, seriously injured or in my case in convinced with out a car for work until the claim was settled.

sean 25-May-2010 19:19

Yeah that does sound like bad drivng to be honest, Especially if there was a car behind you as well. you won't get two cars into the blind spot. You can get a transit van sized vehicle hidden in it though. If the range rover was alongside the trailer it would have been visible to him so he must of not looked.

not confused 24-Apr-2010 12:58

I was overtaking him at about 55, he was doing probably 45 (A2 on a busy friday morning) - so if he had used his mirrors at all he would have seen me - Also even if he hadnt seen me, he nearly took out the car behind me at the same time, and there's no way that a range rover wouldnt have been visible.

He basically realised he was in the lane that becomes the off ramp and he pulled out without looking.

craig. 21-Apr-2010 00:04

Yes, thanks. I can picture it far more realistically now. I can now get some well earned sleep.
Joking aside.
Were you driving in that position for long? That’s the blind spot. The curb mirror will only show about 30cm into the other lane looking down. The wide angle and normal mirror are too high to see anything that low near the cab. A Fresnel lens fitted to the passenger window would possibly make this area visible. A good driver should be checking in these mirrors though in case anything comes into view.

confused 16-Apr-2010 21:33

erm yes... you are correct it should have been "you're". and his wheel studs ate/ripped through my passenger door. Happier now?

craig 16-Apr-2010 19:41

wheels can eat things? What have you been taking? it should be "you're a prat".
I think the Police need to clamp down on drug drivers.

even more confused! 15-Apr-2010 16:42

Confused, your a prat - he changed lanes without indicating, his front wheel impacted the front section of my car, eating into the metal work of the door, and pushed my car across from lane 2 into lane 3

Craig 12-Apr-2010 16:20

" He didnt "catch the rear of my car" he drove through the front third of my car because he change lanes without indicating."

I didn't know thats what happened when people don't indicate. I also don't understand how he drove through your car, which one was the ghost vehicle?

confused 11-Apr-2010 17:30

My stationery car was hit by a Polish lorry driver, 6 months ago, still waiting for my £350 excess back. They need to change the law, I realise not all mainland European driving agencies are going to be as well oiled as the DVLA but driver info is a basic must as ready data to issue to UK Police and insurers. Direct Line (who were ace) warned me that this takes blooming ages.
The lorry in question still appears in my road with cable ties and gaffer tape on the wing! Sadly I had to rush to buy a replacement so I could work and the 'stopgap' motor is not a patch on my old car!

John 06-Apr-2010 13:55

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