Earlier this year we launched a female friendly accident assistance service for club members but I didn’t expect to be needing it myself.
That’s the thing about insurance and support services like FOXY Lady Drivers Club, breakdown recovery and/or accident assistance. Ideally you want to have them all, just in case, but you hope you won’t need them.
And the least understood of these is probably that of no fault accident management services yet they often provide a more caring and comprehensive accident support service than busy insurance companies who are inclined towards cost cutting to minimise claims costs for all. Which isn’t always fair, especially in circumstances like this.
My story is a simple one. Earlier this year I bought a BMW sports car for fun motoring. We called him Zoot – it’s a long story to do with ‘him’ being a Z model. Anyway I loved driving Zoot and expected to have him for many years to come…
Which is not now to be the case because last week, whilst having a short anniversary break in Kent, my husband and I were involved in an accident and Zoot is now ‘uneconomic to repair’…
My husband was driving along the A28 between Canterbury and Ashford when we saw a lady on the lefthand side of the road waiting to turn right, as it happens. I am sure she saw us and yet her car pulled out almost immediately in front of us with c20m to spare. We were probably doing c40-50mph and we were unable to avoid a collision. Both cars ended up on the opposite side of the road, without hitting any oncoming vehicles thank goodness.
Thank goodness too that nobody was killed or seriously injured. The lady in question was local and a grandmother; we know this because she was quickly joined by members of her family who had heard the crash. I think she might have suffered whiplash and her Ford was certainly badly damaged.
My husband was well enough to take photos which act as a stark reminder of events but also illustrate precisely what must have happened.
Whilst ambulance staff attended to us, the police completed the accident statements needed and my husband ended up sorting out the recovery of our car with a company the Police introduced.
My husband also contacted FOXY’s accident assistance service at this stage who were quick to organise a replacement car that arrived at our hotel the next morning. A valuation was carried out the next day and by Day 3 we’d received and agreed this. So far so good but this is now complicated because the other driver claims that we were indicating to turn left at her junction which is why she pulled out when she did…
I won’t comment about this here because if proof is needed (which it shouldn’t be when one is expected to drive safely) the car’s data will surely prove this. So this is where we are at. Stacey is our friendly and knowledgeable contact at our accident management service, and she is dealing with the hire car, valuation, our insurer and the progress of our claim. Very reassuring to have this support in such stressful circumstances…
So I’ll keep you posted.
Me? I’ve chipped my sternum (chest bone) from a combination of airbag and seat belt damage and have broken the base of my right thumb. Both involve painful and spectacular bruising so typing duties have had to be delegated and I’m off the road for a while…
Would I buy another BMW Zoot machine? You bet. The front of the car took the brunt of the impact but the cab remained intact and both doors opened. It could have been much, much worse.
But it was SO useful to have someone to phone for friendly support when we needed it most. Highly recommended and an important part of what FOXY is all about – for Club members and their family of course.
Find out more about FOXY Lady Drivers Club’s female friendly accident management service .