Case Study: Post Accident

[Guyver]

Like I said in one of the post ...

 

If kana accident ....

 

- get off car and start your video recording on your mobile phone

- capture everything, the cars, the road conditions, the drivers, etc

- then only start talking after capturing all this

 

If you want to be super safe ... record down the whole negotiation as well.

[Magnakai]

I think once you have agreed to a method of settlement at expo, not very ethical to change the terms later. You should not have asked for the additional $60. Just IMHO.

[Gearoil]

Dear MCForumers

 

I was involved in an accident earlier yesterday, at 6.35pm along Simei Avenue. I am posting this thread so that other forumers, as well as I, could gain some learning points from the abovementioned incident. I hope the kind members here would share their knowledge and pointers on how I could have handled the incident better.

 

I was driving along Simei Avenue, after just exiting PIE, and I stopped at a junction. I looked at my rear view mirror and saw a white Toyota Corolla behind me. There were two youngsters in the car, both wearing T-shirts of the same design. The driver of the Toyoya then put his head out of the window, looking at another car...perhaps he knew the driver of the other car and was communicating something.

 

When the lights turned green, I moved off and the white Toyota sped off and overtook me. It seems he was racing with another car. I just made a remark to my wife who was beside me that these guys were really reckless to do so at a busy stretch of road. As I wanted to go to The Singapore Expo, I kept to the 3rd lane and before I turned into the filter lane, I saw at the corner of my eye that the Toyota was reversing from the junction in front of me. It was in the second lane and obviously the driver had realised he had bypassed his route and decided to move to the filter lane as I was. I could see the body of the Toyota is moving perpendicular to my direction. I was by that time at the filter lane and I sounded my horn. As I stopped at the filter lane in order to check and give way to traffic, I got a bang from behind. The Toyota had banged into me.

 

I stepped out of the car, assessed that the damage to the bumper was minor..only scratches. With further inspection, the bumper had been slightly 'dislocated' at the joints. The driver of the Toyota and his friend told me to settle and said it was just scratches and could be waxed off. I told him that I need to bring to a workshop to assess the damage and as I pointed out to the guy that he could see the bumper was not properly positioned already. By that time, a TP came over and asked if anybody was injured. The driver was shaken by the presence of the TP. I said nobody was injured and he said to settle among ourselves. The TP then rode off.

 

As I checked the Toyota's driver driving licence, I realised he had just passed his licence in Nov 2006. I also realised that he didn't display his P Plate. As I didnt want to make a big deal out of the matter, we excahnged details and I said I will be willing to go to his workshop. I realised that we were both going to Singapore Expo and they were working for a PI which was having a booth there. What happened next made me really think whether I had been a fool...

 

While I was at the Expo, I received a call from the Toyota driver and it was his boss. He was very friendly and asked if I was still at the Expo. I said I was and he asked if he could look at the damage. We went to look at my car and he said it's very minor and he offered to send a mechanic to rectify it for me the next day. My car could be left at any location and they would come over and repair it for me. I agreed to it and the guy's boss told him to write a letter stating he would pay for the full damage to the car. I was impressed with the boss, really helping his employee.

 

About 3 hrs later, I realised that I have to use the car the next day. Since my car is an OPC, I smsed the driver and requested $60 from him. The reason why I asked for $60 was because I planned to drive my car to Sin Ming, a sticker workshop, so that my friend would be able to see what the mechanic from the other party would do to the car. In order to do that, I need to pay for the OPC licence, which is $20. By leaving the car at Sin Ming, I need to travel to my workplace at Bukit Merah during peak period. That would be about $20 per trip. I called the driver to explain the breakdown and he agreed, but he stated that if I could present the taxi fare receipt and claim that amount. I said that would not be a problem. What happened next was really unexpected.

 

A few minutes after talking to him, I received a phonecall from his boss. His boss was angry and raised his voice at me. He said that I shouldn't claim a single cent from his boy and since I am being so fussy, I might as well claim the insurance. He 'reminded' me that the damage is very minor and also stated that I should remember that my excess is $500 (though it isnt). He stated that they are in the car business and they would know how to write the insurance report. I was taken aback by all this. It was a total change of attitude. I asked him what did I do to offend him and I have been cooperating. All I asked was for a courtesy sum($60) for my inconvenience. He kept on talking about not doing the car. After awhile, I explained to him the situation and said that if it is his car that got banged, would he just leave the car to a stranger to fix it without knowing what is being done. After getting his word, I agreed not to ask for the compensation.

 

I hope the brothers here would advise me on the proper procedure and also what I could have done better. Perhaps asking for the compensation (OPC coupon and two way taxi fare) was out of line? Perhaps I should have reported to the TP who was there to take down the guys particulars. All this has left a sour taste and really made me ponder whether I should have been nice at all. I believe that the boss was agitated because his boy kept calling him in the middle of the night and thus responded in such a way. This thread is not meant to attack the PI but I hope the brothers here can shed some input on the best way to handle the matter. Your input would be truly appreciated. Thanks.

 

My take on your issue:

 

Mistake No.1 : you should not care who the fark called you or have any dealing with him becos you should only be talking with the young fark who bang your car.

 

Mistake No. 2 : Once you decide to privately settle...it will be a wild ride in the jungle and unless you are the LION KING, I doubt you have the courage to deal with the Ah Beng/Ah Seng types that surface later during the private settlement.

 

Mistake No. 3 : Never place your own private needs or doubts ( as wanting to use the car and ask for the petty sum of $20 in return or fearing HOW your car is going to be fix) if you know you have some form of constrains and fear during the time your car is being 'privately' repaired.

 

Mistake N0. 4 : your wisdom did not serve you well as you already have some form of forewarning about the type of shady characters ( the young punks and his so called BOSS ) you are about to deal with.

 

Conclusion : You should have gone for the kill and proceed to claim his insurance and make a 'back stabbing' report on that young farker about his probationary driving status drivng without a 'P' plate car. Whether the TP decides to prosecute is up to them!

 

For the above consultation, I'll bill MCF for it!

[Jen1106]

My opinion is the other party had already promise to pay all the repair cost and here you are after few hours still want to claim the s$60/-?? WTF?

If i were him i will also raise my voice on you!!

[Rafiano]

Hmm...most of the replies gathered here is blaming me for asking compensation for my loss of transport. I thank for all the feedback and again I hope this would be a learning point for all newbies as it has been a learning point for me.

 

Nevertheless, just to give a clearer picture, of the way they wanted to repair the car. They wanted me to leave the car at my workplace. A mechanic will come down to my workplace and 'fix' the bumper. I told them I need to use the car and may travel to a 'government protected' area. They claimed that it's not a problem cos there have been many instances where they have gone to these places and done their job. He cited Cantonment Police Station as an example...

 

Anyway, just to conclude this case study, as it seems that these guys have the advantage due to their involvement in the car trade, I consulted my friend, who didn't tell me that he is involved in the car trade business. After showing him the namecards of the driver and his 'boss', he told me to leave it to him. When he called them in the morning to set the appointment for the car repairs, the first response from the 'boss' was "Who are you to talk to me?" with the added vulgarities.. Bad move on 'boss' part. Unfortunately for the 'boss', my friend who wanted to just ensure that the repairs would be done properly, decided to teach the 'boss' a lesson. He revealed who he was and that made the 'boss' shut up. Well, I wont go into further details but I got to thank my friend for his help.

 

To conclude, my friend dealt the matter with the driver himself and we agreed to a fair settlement. I decided not to claim for the OPC and transport as it is deemed 'ungentlemanly' by the forumers here. The twist to the story is this...the driver asked my friend whether my friend could pay for him first...

 

To all the brothers and sisters whom have contributed, your comments and feedback are truly appreciated.

 

It pays to have friends...and it pays to be in MCF...cheers

[Cool_jazz]

You are too kind.

For me business is business.... if the person is injured, I get the ambulance + TP. But claims and repair, I will do my own and sent the bill to his insurer. Nothing to discuss, period.

[Mzrmazda3]

Bro, glad that you have got a friend whom had help to tide you over this issue

[Jmsowen]

The singapore accident statement i think you can get from LTA, well i receive via mail.