Claiming expenses after road traffic accident

Q: I was involved in a road traffic incident that occurred in a car park. I was correctly proceeding to drive my vehicle when a third party’s car pulled out of a parking bay and crashed into me. We exchanged details but I was concerned that the person was young and a provisional licence holder so I called the police. The police attended and confirmed that the person was insured and liability has been admitted to my insurers. My vehicle is being repaired at the moment. My insurers will bill the third party for the costs. I have been given a hire car as replacement; the only expense is petrol in the other vehicle. How can I go about claiming expenses?

A: Litigation would only place you back in the situation you would have been in had the accident not happened and cannot simply be for your own betterment. Your vehicle is being repaired by his insurance company who will bill him for this. You would have had to put petrol in your vehicle had the accident not happened and so there has been no loss. In addition, any petrol still in your vehicle will still be there when your vehicle is returned to you as it has not been deemed a total loss. If you had any personal property in the vehicle which was damaged you could potentially make a claim, yet as you do not there is no grounds for you to claim on expenses and, when the vehicle is returned to you repaired, you will have been compensated.