Car crash - what to do

[nil desperandum]

My friend (whom I shall refer to as Rob) has just had a letter from the police asking him to go to the local police station on Saturday to explain what happened last Friday morning. This is what happened:
he was driving to work when, a scooter ran a red light at speed and smashed into the side of the car. He checked to make sure the guy was alright and then buggered off as he doesn't have a license (or international one). He wants to know what to say on Saturday.
What are the consequences for him (fines, compensation etc)?

[tomthorne]

Don't despair. I think you'll just get a fine. I'm not sure how much, or what will happen regarding compensation though.

Check out this thread: viewtopic.php?t=39849

[sandman]

Sticky. The other person's fault, but you left the scene of an accident, so they can pretty much do whatever they want with you. The fine will be the fine. That's the easy bit. Plus you'll have the fine for no license, no insurance. Also easy. Just money. After that, though, if you DO get held to blame (a virtual certainty since you left the scene) then the other side can sue you for however much they can. And they will. THAT'S where the real money starts entering the picture. And where the interminable back-and-forth at hearings, mediation, lawyers, etc. comes into play.

[tomthorne]

I guess that Rob will just have to tell the police that he checked that the guy was OK and had to rush off for some very important reason. Did the guy tell Rob that he was OK? Any witnesses to this?

[speed_maniac]

1. Rob should not have been driving without a license.
2. Rob should not have left the scene. He should have waited for the cops to come. It was not his fault and he could have proved his innocence on the spot.
3. Sandman is right about -- the other side can sue you for however much they can.
4. Only hope Rob has, is to get a copy of the video from any of the surveillance cameras around.

A friend of mine, a local Taiwanese lady, is in shit because an old lady ran a red light and hit my friend. Both were on scooties going pretty slow but since the old lady did not have a helmet on, she hit her head pretty hard and is now in a coma since the past 3 weeks. There are no witnesses and unfortunately no surveillance cameras around. So it is the old lady's word against my friend's word and since the old lady is still in a coma my friend is getting harrassed by her family.

I can vouch for my friend because she never goes over 50, rides very carefully and in her 20 odd years of riding a scooty, this is her first accident!!!

[StuartCa]

Recently I hit a car that jumped a red light, it was a police controlled junction, so they sorted it out within a couple of hours. I don't have a license and the police were great, they were encouraging me to ask the car driver for more money for inconvenience and medical bills (I was unhurt) and the bike's repair bill went through the car drivers insurance.

I get the impression that walking away from an accident is quite a big thing, no matter how small it is.

[sandman]

I get the impression that walking away from an accident is quite a big thing, no matter how small it is.

That's the biggie. No matter what the traffic court hands down, the other party in the ensuing civil suit WILL be claiming it as a hit-and-run. That often means jail time in the UK, as far as I know. Here, however, it'll just be a great deal of money.

[nil desperandum]

The police told Rob he's likely to face a 60-70k fine. The afters between him and the 'victim' will become clearer on Saturday.

[pqkdzrwt]

Hopefully the police already have this, but in case they dont, Rob should hire a lawyer or someone who can facilitate tracking down video/cctv evidence proving who was at fault. Paying this expense now will make things cheaper in the long run. Hopefully the CCTV tapes go longer than 48 hours.

Proof of phone call records showing you called an ambulance to ensure you can prove that you were concerned to make sure the other guy didn't have internal bleeding or other issues would also be useful.

[whitetiger]

Is it possible that it would automatically be Rob's fault, just because he doesn't have a license? Seems to supersede all fault here. I hope the other party is reasonable, but I doubt it given that they have pursued Rob after causing the bloody accident. I'd like to see a judge really give it to one of these undesirables, trying to exploit people and the system. Two people made a mistake, no one gets money. They should both get fines and that should be the end of it. Certainly round up that footage.