stopping competition.....in which i came second.

[Dave Adams]

I have just pranged my car !.....! Ironically involveing an ambulance who was over taking on a blind bend with solid white lines i slammed on the brakes and swerved onto the grass bank and just caught the guy in front on my O/S to his N/S. bonnet is not in great condition now , o/s chassis is bent. All is repairable but bum bum bum.

[Big Vern]

Marc, It'll be down to the other sides insurance, not Dave's, with regular road cars you can often work a deal to keep the car and repair yourself, Vic check and your one your way, but with specialist cars most insurance companies get scared off as they don't have a 'point of reference' over repairs, also if your entitled to a courtesy car then they'll want to write off as quick as they can as the courtesy car can add up to more than the repairs! . Dave needs to get the car home first so its in HIS possesion then negotiate with the insurers for compensation so he can repair the car himself.

[Big Vern]

Sorry Ade, only just fully read your post. You cannot buy back the salvage from the insurance companies after the settlement they no longer do that. They sell salvage only to certain approved companies who are registered to deal with it. This happened to a mate of mine with his tiger, similar type of accident with light front end damage to the LH chassis and smashed nosecone. They wrote it off because of the chassis damage, they said too expensive to re-chassis at their approved repairer.. Said mate wanted to buy back the salvage and repair himself but they had listed it Cat B which apparently they do with most kit cars.

Dave you need to negotiate keeping the car (preferably not recorded) as part of any settlement - dont agree to anything without that. You can explain that you are in a position to repair whereas their repair shops arn't. Remember its your car until they pay out.

[Big Vern]

You can choose not to go ahead with the claim if they want to write it off, its your car until they pay out. Late claim I made I did a deal, my car - not recorded and some cash, not what it was worth or the cost of repairs but at least I didn't lose the car and it could be repaired and put straight back on the road. A couple of hundred should see it repaired its more time than money for Dave A. but the insurance will want to write it off as they cant get new body panels and the chassis has damage.

Tread carefully Dave. Probably best to recover it yourself then see what deal you can do.

[Adrian Southgate]

If the guy you hit involves his insurance then you wont have any choice in the matter. You might have been better off hitting the ambulance (financially) but not physically as three ton ambulances don't stop too quick either.

The local ambulance control will have a record of who was doing what at the time so will be able to tell which ambulance driver is responsible, If the accident was his fault, even though he was on a blue light run he still shouldn't have been in that position, there are rules. 

It would be worthwhile getting the information from ambulance control even if you later do nothing with it.

If your insurance company do get involved you should have the right to buy back the car after they have settled, in the mean time get it recovered to your house and shut it in the garage, possession is 9/10ths and all that.

Whatever you do don' let the police keep it as it will go in an impound yard at the local breakers and it will be stripped in no time. Thats what happened to my white legerra after the fire.

Good to know you and Sandra are ok though, as Pete says, it could have been a lot worse.

[Dave Adams]

Yeah i don't want them to write it off. i may just get them to recover it from Boston to Hull.

[Big Vern]

Nnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo be careful how you deal with the insurance you don't want them to write it off :-o

[Dave Adams]

the bonnet catch i fitted (under the bonnet and released by remote cable) probably prevented the bonnet moving further back and doing more damage the head lights survived but the chrome bowls are bent out of shape.

the O/S chassis rail (the cross wise one in front of the engine) is bent back about 1" just behind the bottom wish bone mount, the top cross member is also bent back.

anyone got a bonnet?

scuttle is also damaged because the mirrors mount to it and they took a lot of the impact, but it will repair.

[Pete Clayton]

Looks like it could have been a lot worse Dave. Shame about the front end after all your hard work, did the lights survive?

[Dave Adams]

here have a good look.......

and....

also.....

and again.......

[Adrian Southgate]

The rubber necker in me says we need pictures.

Every other part of me is cringing ... don't suppose you got the ambulance drivers reg etc?