Woman is slapped with a £400,000 bill for driving a £300-a-day hired Mercedes for three years while her accident claim was being resolved after she crashed her £10,000 Audi into a parked car
- Susan Harries drove her Audi, into a Honda in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
- During the three-year wait Mrs Harries hired the Mercedes costing £300 per day
- Hired it through firm that would cover the costs if she was found to be not at fault
- However, the crash was found to be because of Mrs Harries’s ‘negligent driving’
A woman was given a £400,000 bill for the hired Mercedes she drove while her accident claim was being resolved.
Susan Harries drove her Audi, worth £10,000, into a parked Honda in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.
For three years, Mrs Harries hired a Mercedes C220 costing her £300 per day.
In total, the bill came to £400,000.
Susan Harries was given a £400,000 bill for a hired Mercedes she drove while awaiting an accident claim judgment (stock image)
She rented the car through an independent firm that offered to cover the cost of the rental, but only if she was not to blame for the crash.
These sorts of firms can approach drivers after an accident with offers while the driver’s insurer works out who is to blame.
They typically claim the cost of the hire from the at-fault driver’s insurer, but only if the person who takes out the policy is not at fault.
If they are at fault, they need to pay the bill themselves.
Many people opt to use these companies if getting a hire car through their insurer would impact their no claims or if their excess is too expensive.
For three years, Mrs Harries hired a Mercedes C220 costing her £300 per day. In September, Mrs Harries appeared in Nottingham County Court (pictured) accusing Kevin Baguley of reversing his Honda into her path
Richard Hiscocks from insurer Aviva told The Sun that Mrs Harries’s case ‘highlights how far credit hire organisations are willing to go to pursue profit.’
In September, Mrs Harries appeared in court claiming that Kevin Baguley reversed his Honda into the path of her car.
The crash was found to be because of Mrs Harries’s ‘negligent driving’, Nottingham County Court heard.
A judge said that the four separate witness statements Mrs Harries provided to support what she claimed turned out to be connected to the car recovery company she used.
These witnesses put her in contact with the independent firm that ended up loaning her the car.