Has anyone ever had to claim through the motor insurance bureau?

So after two months since my accident it appears that the scumbag that took me off my bike and drove off might not have insurance. The police have stated he has replied to their letter and claims to have ‘witnessed’ the accident but didn’t cause it (I went into the side of his car…). Apart from this bit of information they have been pretty useless.

BLD and my solicitors are saying that they may have to claim through the MIB. Has anyone ever had to do that? I’m just trying to gauge time frames as my bike is still in storage. The headlight is cracked so won’t be able to ride in the rain. It’s my only form of transport as I don’t own a car. I’ve seen a couple of posts online from people stating it has taken 1-2 years! I can’t wait that long.

There is no justice in this world!!

Orignal accident thread: http://londonbikers.com/forums/982417/just-got-taken-off-my-bike-and-the-little-failed-to-stop

Not sure but I think BigVern had to do this after a hit and run. Might be worth sending him a PM, not sure how often he logs on to see things?

I have but I let rss deal with the claim. It took a year and they paid be less than they should of but I settled as something is better than nothing.

Yes, took over a year but it was settled. Crash in April '11 to December '12

Wow, so it’s going to be a long time then.

Were your bikes rideable or were you left with nothing? I should be able to get mine back on the road by replacing a couple of bits.

Kept mine on the road after payin for it myself then got scrap valve back for it plus injury and clothing but they want recipets for everything

I deal with the MIB quite regularly unfortunately and they tend to be a law onto themselves.

Once the paperwork has been submitted, they will have an automatic 3 months to carry out their own investigation before any admittance or denial of liability is made.

They will then in effect become the third party and defend the claim in exactly the same way as if you were claiming against the original defendant, but near in mind that a mistake many solicitors fail to do is name the original defendant as the 1st defendant with the MIB as the second defendant.

It usually takes about 50% longer to settle a claim through the MIB.

Their protocols are very exacting and any breach of these protocols often results in the MIB applying for the case to be struck out, so make sure that your solicitor is up to speed on making claims against the MIB.

Also bear in mind that there is also a £350 excess on the first and each part of every damage only claim, but this excess does not apply to the personal injury side of the claim.

yes have claimed with them and to tell you the truth i was glad of them otherwise we would have got nothing.

they only pay out personal injury no damage to bike or gear.

As above. Can’t remember if it took 2 or 3 years but it was a long while. White Dalton solicitors did it.

This changed a few years ago, they now DO pay out for damages to property as well as personal injury:

http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Services/en/Making+a+claim/default.htm

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is a fund of last resort and as such will consider claims for property damage and injury where compensation cannot be claimed from another source.The Bureau’s obligation is to handle claims in accordance with the agreements between MIB and the Government. MIB is restricted to paying compensation in respect of liability for property damage or injury arising from an accident that has occurred either on a road or a public place in accordance with the Road Traffic Act 1988 and subsequent regulations.MIB is also the UK Green Card Bureau and can be contacted when the driver of foreign registered vehice is being held responsible for an accident which has occurred in the UK.

Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like it’s going to be a long haul.

They really need to crack down hard on these uninsured tossers, it should be an automatic ban. It causes so much grief for law abiding citizens.

aha, cool, was a while since had to deal with them

The reason I mentioned the excess is because the rules changed about 8 or 9 years ago to cover damage and not just personal injury