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Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:50 pm
by Simon0867
Evening all,

Blowing a gale here all day, came back home this evening to find the PCX had blown over and struck the car next to it. It's cover must have dragged it over.

Picked the bike up and put it back on it's stand minus the cover, it seems fine, however there is a noticeable dent in the car panel where the bike hit. The car is a tatty old MG that doesn't seem to move much and I don't know the owner.

What happens now ?

Should I leave a note on the car admitting liability ?
Does this count as an act of god and would my insurance cover any repairs to his car ?
Should I just plead dumb and hope he didn't see the bike hit his car ?
Should I let my insurance company know ?

Sorry for all the questions but it's a new one on me.

Thanks in advance

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 4:20 pm
by homie
Sorry to hear that your bike was damaged... what would Jesus do?

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 4:35 pm
by Simon0867
Hopfully he'd have a strong word with his Dad about all the crappy weather Scotland gets...

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 7:56 pm
by honkerman
homie wrote:Sorry to hear that your bike was damaged... what would Jesus do?
For starters, Jesus wouldn't drive an MG.

Everyone knows He had a Honda, but he didn't really talk about it: John 12:49a "for I did not speak of my own Accord..."

There is some evidence that the apostles kept it after His ascension, and they did the whole VW beetle thing with it. The book of Acts does say they were all in one Accord...

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 8:18 pm
by j.d.b.
Obviously, have the ethical testicles to introduce yourself to the car's owner and work it out. Interesting that you'd ask strangers on the net for advice like this. Put yourself in the other guy's place a minute. How would you like this handled? Stuff happens. You never know, the MG driver might be OK.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 8:36 pm
by Jge64
j.d.b. wrote:Obviously, have the ethical testicles to introduce yourself to the car's owner and work it out. Interesting that you'd ask strangers on the net for advice like this. Put yourself in the other guy's place a minute. How would you like this handled? Stuff happens. You never know, the MG driver might be OK.

Absolutely agree.....

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:09 pm
by Scoot Commute
You know what you have to do,
Just do it and you may well be enlightened

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:50 am
by Geoffers
Completely agree. Find your spine and contact the car owner.

This is why I don't use covers - they're like parachutes. Even the biggest bikes can be blown over. Years ago I had a Yamaha cruiser and that blew over a few times before I quit using the cover. A little thing like the PCX could take off!

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:12 am
by big tommy
Simon0867 wrote:Evening all,

Blowing a gale here all day, came back home this evening to find the PCX had blown over and struck the car next to it. It's cover must have dragged it over.

Picked the bike up and put it back on it's stand minus the cover, it seems fine, however there is a noticeable dent in the car panel where the bike hit. The car is a tatty old MG that doesn't seem to move much and I don't know the owner.

What happens now ?

Should I leave a note on the car admitting liability ?
Does this count as an act of god and would my insurance cover any repairs to his car ?
Should I just plead dumb and hope he didn't see the bike hit his car ?
Should I let my insurance company know ?

Sorry for all the questions but it's a new one on me.

Thanks in advance
i worked in the UK insurance industry for over 30 years....

Here's the drill...

Under UK Law - you can only claim compensation from someone if you can prove neglegence....

Your bike being knocked over in the wind is nothing really to do with you - it would be neigh on impossible for the car owner / his insurers to prove that you have acted in a neglegent way...

many call this type of incident "act of God".....

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:27 am
by kramnala58
big tommy wrote:
Simon0867 wrote:Evening all,
Blowing a gale here all day, came back home this evening to find the PCX had blown over and struck the car next to it. It's cover must have dragged it over.
Picked the bike up and put it back on it's stand minus the cover, it seems fine, however there is a noticeable dent in the car panel where the bike hit. The car is a tatty old MG that doesn't seem to move much and I don't know the owner.
What happens now ?
Should I leave a note on the car admitting liability ?
Does this count as an act of god and would my insurance cover any repairs to his car ?
Should I just plead dumb and hope he didn't see the bike hit his car ?
Should I let my insurance company know ?
Sorry for all the questions but it's a new one on me.
Thanks in advance
i worked in the UK insurance industry for over 30 years....
Here's the drill...
Under UK Law - you can only claim compensation from someone if you can prove neglegence....
Your bike being knocked over in the wind is nothing really to do with you - it would be neigh on impossible for the car owner / his insurers to prove that you have acted in a neglegent way...
many call this type of incident "act of God".....
Nonetheless, letting the other person know would be the ethical thing to do. You may not have to pay, but at least you owned up to it. If what Big Tommy says is accurate (and I have no reason to think that it isn't), the other guy will likely end up being more upset at insurance companies than you.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:41 am
by Simon0867
Thanks everyone for your input.
I have to say I'm a believer in karma, what goes around comes around, so I've let my insurance know and stuck a letter on his windscreen. I've photographed the damage so we'll see what happens now.
Ironically today my partners 76 year old mother was conned by "workman" at her door and robbed of £150, maybe my little act of honesty will see those scumbags put where they belong, fingers crossed for some karma.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:53 am
by WhiteNoise
Simon, we are all brothers and sisters sharing this beautiful planet.
As one Big family, it IS important that you tell him/her. If you never see him or her, then leave that note with your phone number on it. If and when the phone call comes, tell him/her exactly what you know and the weather that day. Above All, Be Honest! God knows, we need to be honest with one another. Do your part to make that happen.
I wouldn't be surprised if all goes in your favor. That would be your reward. Then lookup and say, Thank You ;)

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:01 pm
by honkerman
He who walks in integrity walks securely

Integrity: "doing the right thing, even when no-one is looking."

I tried to drill this into my kid. He ended up becoming a two-bit thief anyway, but there's only so much you can do.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:58 pm
by WhiteNoise
Ah simon, I just read your recent post. Cheers to you fellow pcxer you did right! :P

:x Bloody Con-folks are everywhere!! They prey especially on the old. Sorry about the incident with your partner's Mother.
My Mom's in a nursing home. She has her mind (ha! Better than mine sometimes...scary right?) anywho, they call her monthly trying to pull a fast one on her. She lets me listen to her phone messages. Then I report the con's phone number. Yes, I have choice words for them but this is not the forum for such anger (thedevilsforum perhaps).

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:29 pm
by Bash On!
Simon0867 wrote:Thanks everyone for your input.
so I've let my insurance know and stuck a letter on his windscreen.... fingers crossed for some karma.
You've the right thing--good job! Maybe the same wind will blow away the letter ... ;)

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:07 pm
by homie
Bash On! wrote:
Simon0867 wrote:Thanks everyone for your input.
so I've let my insurance know and stuck a letter on his windscreen.... fingers crossed for some karma.
You've the right thing--good job! Maybe the same wind will blow away the letter ... ;)
That's right! exactly what Jesus would do. If the owner has his own bad karma then the wind will blow the note away LOL.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:36 pm
by Safety Man
You always do what is most convenient for you at the time. Yes, it may be a good idea to be honest, but you run into the issue of the guy not believing your story anyway. Karma is best preserved by analyzing your options based on potential pay-offs, before committing to a course of action. All that "you gotta be nice to others" stuff is just window dressing for fools who operate based on emotions. If you are a millionaire and you want to make a donation to feed the poor, that's a different story because you would be doing the right thing and you would be in control of your actions. When you are riding a scoot and putting your precious assets at the mercy of karma, this is a different situation.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:55 pm
by homie
It does not matter to the one doing right if the other believes the truth or not, or even if he SUFFERS from doing the right thing. I know most won't get this as those who don't exercise it may never experience it... thus the path is narrow. He did the right thing.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:39 am
by Bash On!
"All that "you gotta be nice to others" stuff is just window dressing for fools..."

Sorry, but I sure am glad not everybody thinks like you--and I hope I don't ever have to share a roadway with you, especially if I'm on two wheels.

Re: Wind damage...

Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:24 am
by Mel46
In the end, every action you do should be based on the concept of doing to others what you would want them to do to you..... basically, think about what you would want the other person to do if your roles were reversed. Your life should be lived with this concept in mind at all times. Unfortunately, there are many who only believe in the concept of Do unto others, period. Of all of my 6 children, only 1 of them has no moral compass. That is because his mother didn't have one, and she was his mentor. She and I divorced long ago because of that very reason. Now I am more aware of others who are like that. As parents, we are responsible for raising our children. Not the school. Not the government. Not the police.