General Thankyou Mr Bus Driver. Now I am Gutted!!

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General Thankyou Mr Bus Driver. Now I am Gutted!!

FiatFleetFamily

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I am immensely annoyed this evening prior to Easter :mad::mad::mad:.

A NOT IN SERVICE bus while making a turn, has over egged it and smacked my Croma right in the middle of the near side!!!:cry:

Luckily me and the children where in church, but we came out, seeing a bus right up against my Croma, i knew something is wrong.

The whole near side from the A pillar to the C pillar has caved in, and the roof has serverely buckled.:cry:

Police did a breath test on the driver and he was just over the limit and said he did not see the parked car, so he can kiss goodbye to his job!

I am so gutted. My husband cannot understand how the car caved in, nor can I, but we do not know how fast the bus was going.

Sorry about the post, but as I read, take advice of others or post advice in this Croma forum, I think that I would like to share this with you all, as there are not many of us anyway, sadly I feel another Croma about to be cubed.

Regards

The other half of FiatFleetFamily.
 
+1. Also agree that it'll likely be the end of that particular Croma :(
 
Oh what a bummer FiatFleetFamily. More importantly nobody was hurt.

Sounds like your Croma could be sadly history. Your loss will also be our loss here in this forum as your have contributed so much.

Wishing you all well and that a sad day/experience turns out to be a new future experience with hopefully another great Fiat.

Nick /////
 
UPDATE

Croma collected where I parked it this morning. Kids in a worst state than me. this morning.

My husband wanted to drain the fuel tank as it was nearly full, last night, but could not work out how it was done. Ironically the engine started, but with a few warning messages on the dashboard.

Bus Company insurance provider have dropped off a Fiat Bravo also, its not Croma for space.

Bus company has admitted all liability and all recovery costs etc etc.

On Friday evening Bus Driver was arrested for Drink Driving.

My Croma is going to a Zurich Insurance loss adjuster inspection yard near Chester and will be inspected tomorrow.
 
You can claim the fuel back on the insurance. Really sad, had my Punto mk2 written off in February by someone skipping a stop line, gutted! Glad all of you are ok but another sad loss of a family car.
 
Very sad to hear of your stressful time.

You probably can't siphon the fuel tank - there are usually various obstructions in the way specifically to stop you. You'd be likely to get a gob-full of diesel, or cause a mini eco-disaster or potential accident if it gets spilt.

As said above, claim for the value of the fuel. If you have the receipt for the last fill-up then keep it. Also get a photo of the fuel gauge if possible.

The scrappers will recover the diesel anyway, so it won't be wasted.
 
What a shame,feel a bit sick reading this.Sadly it always happens to cars like the Croma-were there is not many of them about to begin with.If something happened to my 2.4 i couldnt cope.It would be like losing a family member.
 
It is very worrying, bearing in mind how low the Croma is valued in the 2nd hand market. To give an example, I caught my van in a car park just before Christmas and scraped the lower panel. A tiny dent below the trim level (so no need to re-paint the whole side of the van), yet the repair bill, through the insurance, was almost £3000 and the repair on the wing of the car I hit was £2700!! With inflated prices like that, a repair needing for example a 'genuine' bumper or door, will consign our lovely Croma's to the scrap heap. I strongly believe that ridiculous repair costs like that and 'have you had an accident in the last three years' claims are to blame for our ever soaring insurance costs. Not uninsured new drivers who have to pay £1000s to insure their cars. No wonder they take a risk and drive uninsured.
 
All very true. As an example, I will be selling my 2.4 at some point in the next few months due to starting a new job and getting a company car. Thought I'd look at webuyanycar and got a valuation - the figure they gave me would roughly equate to a set of wheels and tyres from Fiat plus a genuine windscreen. Many Cromas will get written off as time goes by for relatively minor damage. Enjoy them while you can..!
 
UPDATE :

Had a letter re the loss adjuster's inspection. To repair the Croma, back to road worthy condition would cost... wait for it...#9800.00 :eek:

Bus insurance company deem the Croma a total loss and thus will be written off as a category A vehicle and thus will be scrapped and not repaired / sold on.

I have been asked to collect all my personal effects before the settlement date and the road tax disc, as I can claim this back as have 7 month remaining.

Zurich will be in touch re an offer for the Croma in next 5 working days.

So for you who have commented on this post, what should I be accepting, as my husband wants to take the bus company to the cleaners.
 
UPDATE :

Had a letter re the loss adjuster's inspection. To repair the Croma, back to road worthy condition would cost... wait for it...#9800.00 :eek:

Bus insurance company deem the Croma a total loss and thus will be written off as a category A vehicle and thus will be scrapped and not repaired / sold on.

I have been asked to collect all my personal effects before the settlement date and the road tax disc, as I can claim this back as have 7 month remaining.

Zurich will be in touch re an offer for the Croma in next 5 working days.

So for you who have commented on this post, what should I be accepting, as my husband wants to take the bus company to the cleaners.

Shouldn't be a CAT A, should be a CAT B really.

Husband won't be able to take the bus comapany 'to the cleaners'. It'll be their insurance company covering it, and the law is dealing with the driver.

Wait for first offer, look about for equivilent Cromers for sale atm. If the offer isn't near their prices then refuse offers and explain why.

If the car has had any recent work done to it (servicing etc) explain you want this factored into the price also, as well as the tank of fuel as mentioned above.

Also ask them to justify it was a CAT A total loss, as it can't be really. Could be really awkward and advise them you wish to keep the salvage if your husband wants as they've no legal entitlement to it as your a third party claiming and not their insured (y)
 
You can claim for all reasonable expenses that have arisen from this idiot.

E.g.:

  • Time taken to deal with the claim
  • Time and travelling expenses spent buying a new car
  • A hire car if necessary while you're without a car
  • Stamps, phone calls
  • Any time taken off work
  • Any other expense that has arisen as a result of this

Out of interest, are you thinking of getting a new Croma? I'm sure a few on here would also like to know where your old one is going so we can circle like vultures and scavenge the good bits from the scrapyard!
 
Shouldn't be a CAT A, should be a CAT B really.

Husband won't be able to take the bus comapany 'to the cleaners'. It'll be their insurance company covering it, and the law is dealing with the driver.

Wait for first offer, look about for equivilent Cromers for sale atm. If the offer isn't near their prices then refuse offers and explain why.

If the car has had any recent work done to it (servicing etc) explain you want this factored into the price also, as well as the tank of fuel as mentioned above.

Also ask them to justify it was a CAT A total loss, as it can't be really. Could be really awkward and advise them you wish to keep the salvage if your husband wants as they've no legal entitlement to it as your a third party claiming and not their insured (y)

Thanks for the advice. But CAT A likely, as A, B and C pillars have buckled as has the roof. Besides the repair cost if well over the 100% retained value.
 
You can claim for all reasonable expenses that have arisen from this idiot.

E.g.:

  • Time taken to deal with the claim
  • Time and travelling expenses spent buying a new car
  • A hire car if necessary while you're without a car
  • Stamps, phone calls
  • Any time taken off work
  • Any other expense that has arisen as a result of this
Out of interest, are you thinking of getting a new Croma? I'm sure a few on here would also like to know where your old one is going so we can circle like vultures and scavenge the good bits from the scrapyard!

Yes, possibly, but has to be black, but it took me a fair amount of time to find the black one that I have now, but not for much longer.

If a late plate Black Croma 07 or 57 is not available, then may step down to a Multijet Multipla ( Husband wants one of these after his Stilo MW ;) ) or a Multijet Sedici or a Multijet Qubo.
 
Thanks for the advice. But CAT A likely, as A, B and C pillars have buckled as has the roof. Besides the repair cost if well over the 100% retained value.

Should be a CAT B as A means it has to be destroyed complete, B can still be broken for parts which this one should be. Hasn't been Fire damaged, involved in a fatal accident or contaminated with sewage / radiation (y)
 
It's not up to their insurers to write it off. They have an obligation to return your vehicle to how it was before their client damaged it. I've heard of cases where people in your situation have had the other insurance company cover the cost of any repairs that were required. It does not matter that the cost of repair outweighs the market value of the car. Although I'm not sure what the extensive damage means in this situation.

I wouldn't be accepting any cash settlement from them. You want your car returned (or equivalent) in the condition it was in before their client crashed into it. Maybe speak to CAB about this, or your own insurers.
 
It's not up to their insurers to write it off. They have an obligation to return your vehicle to how it was before their client damaged it. I've heard of cases where people in your situation have had the other insurance company cover the cost of any repairs that were required. It does not matter that the cost of repair outweighs the market value of the car. Although I'm not sure what the extensive damage means in this situation.

I wouldn't be accepting any cash settlement from them. You want your car returned (or equivalent) in the condition it was in before their client crashed into it. Maybe speak to CAB about this, or your own insurers.

Don't get your own insurance involved, thats where it often goes tits up once they get their grubby mits on it. They'll write it off (and they can), keep the salvage themself and them claim it back from the other side. I doubt CAB would be interested either, they'll say contact your insurance co (n)

Yes OP could have the vehicle repaired if they insisted, but with damage to the 'B' pillar, short of reshelling it (which is probably what the £9k+ is) it'll never have the same structural integrity as before.
 
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