Now We're Really Being Had

Waaaay back in November 2004, G/S/N got into a little fender-bender with our car. Basically, she was crossing a roundabout and hit another car (of note is the fact that the other driver was speeding so while she did actually see the other car, it was so far away when she started to cross the roundabout that she judged it safe to cross). The damage: a scrape to the side of the other car and a dented bumper and loose license plate on ours. We ended up getting our car fixed privately and not filing a claim with insurance because the other driver never returned James’ phone call and we never heard from her again.

Until recently.

A couple of months ago (yes, in 2006!) we received a letter from our insurance company stating that a claim had been filed against us. WHAT?!? Apparently the other driver was claiming WHIPLASH over a year later! Now, a couple of months later, I could understand, but a year?!?! We, of course, expressed our surprise and indignation, and the insurance company sent an investigator round to get a statement. [I’m assuming that they are making sure this isn’t a fraudulent claim (which it so appears to me to be)] We arranged a time (yesterday evening), based on their statement that it should take about an hour with G/S/N and then a quick follow-up with James as the owner of record on the car.

The guy came over last night. While we were discussing his parking situation he let slip that it would take three hours (WHAT?!?). We couldn’t figure out what could possibly take three hours so took his comment with a grain of salt.

Unfortunately, he was right! He obviously knew himself well. It was the most excruciating three hours for G/S/N. I took care of Kate, gave her a bath, her milk, watched some TV with her and then put her to bed. When I went downstairs again, the guy was on something like page 8 of his HANDWRITTEN statement, and only getting to the point where G/S/N had called Emergency Services. Oh. My. God. I couldn't move or talk slower if I tried. I don’t know how G/S/N refrained from snatching the paper out of his hands and writing her statement herself. I kept looking at her and crossing my eyes, and it was all I could do to stop myself from dissolving into hysterical giggles.

Hopefully, though, the insurance company will expose that other driver as the fraudster she appears to be. I mean, really – her car was lightly scraped down the side, our car had a slightly damaged bumper and the license plate was hanging off, hardly the jarring front/back collision that I would associate with whiplash!