RizSilverthorn.net

I had a minor accident in my car today. I was approaching a crossroads to go straight across. The junction had traffic lights, which were green to me and the oncoming traffic. The first car in the opposite direction hadn't noticed the light had changed. As I got up to the lights, he realised they had changed and shot forward, then he turned to his right, crossing my lane in front of me. I braked and turned to my right slightly and just made it around the back of his car, missing him. Unfortunately, there was another driver right up his arse, also turning right, which I didn't miss. The first car didn't even bother to stop - I guess he either was oblivious to the accident he caused, or just a complete f@ckwit behind a wheel.

Luckily we were travelling at a really slow speed by this point (or at least I was) so the damage wasn't that great. My car suffered a scratched and split bumper, broken sidelight and indicator. Her car had a badly dented wing, just behind the front wheel.

We exchanged insurance details (thank goodness we were both insured, which seems a rarity these days!). I got a phone call later that day from their insurers stating they accept full liability! Woohoo!

It seems that insurance companies have no idea about cars - as my car is now almost a classic (1988 2.0l Twin Turbo Toyota Supra MKIII) their insurance assessor say that they believe it to be beyond economic repair, as they can only authorise new parts. Seeing as my car is nearly 21 years old and a Japanese import, new parts are going to be prohibitively expensive. I will have to see what offer they come up with - there is no way that my car is going to be scrapped over such a minor incident. The assessor agrees that my car is still perfectly driveable, just needs a replacement front bumper and light lens. Most of the damage is superficial, except for the split in the bumper which needs replacing.

It's sad, I know, but I really, really like my car. She's the best one I've ever had. Extremely well looked after by the previous owner and in the middle of some minor restoration (usualy wear and tear on the internal trim, etc). The main issue I have with her is the corroded rubber seals around the boot hatch, causing leaks when it rains. Haven't found anyone who can replace them yet. Ohh, and the the air-con only seems to blow hot air when it's not that cold outside... 

Images: 

Location