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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: NightHawk on October 09, 2010, 05:28:33 PM

Title: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 09, 2010, 05:28:33 PM: Most of you will have seen me mention on the Forum our intended house move to the Norfolk/Suffolk area.

Our intended location to move changed after we had a week's holiday last month in the New Forest. This being our first visit here we instantly fell in love with the area.

On our return home Kathy then started to look for property in the Hampshire area. She found some lovely detached bungalows, which was our preferrence, and at prices that were very reasonable.

Last weekend we had our very first person viewing our house, who put an offer in to the Estate Agent 2 hours after the viewing. We accepted the offer.

Kathy made a short list of bungalows in the Hampshire area and we booked into a local hotel in that area as our base.

We'd pretty much narrowed our choice down to one particular bungalow in an area in the south part of the New Forest. We arranged to meet the Estate Agent on Monday 4 October.
Unfortunately, the owner of the house was not there so we could only see the outside. However, we loved what we saw. We then arranged to re-visit on Tuesday at 10.30am, by which time the owner could let us inside. It turns out that the Estate Agent rep (not the one that did our viewing) that Kathy had arranged the viewing with before we'd left home got his days mixed up and made the booking with the owner for the Sunday and not the Monday as he should have done.

So, on Tuesday we set off from the hotel at 8.10am for a drive of about one hour, with me doing the driving.

This is when disaster struck. We were west-bound on the M27 at juction 4 following the Bournemouth signs. At this point the road was splitting into two lanes which went off to Rownham Services and the M3 and just past that a lane was then joining the M27 from the M3. I was correctly in the middle lane at this point doing 55 mph, intending to move into the slow lane once we were clear of the slip road that was joining. I checked my rear view mirror before attempting my lane change and saw a car approaching in the same lane at a very fast speed. I waited where I was to see what he was going to do and saw him swerve towards the fast lane then immediately swerve back into my lane. In that fraction of a second I knew he was going to hit us, but I had nowhere to go, as the slow lane still had traffic in it and it was too fast to warn Kathy. The car hit us on the rear offside, spinning us round into the crash barrier on the nearside and then bounced off into the carriageway again finishing up just short of the fast lane. We were then facing the nearside crash barrier side-on to the motorway traffic. Kathy later said she was waiting to be hit from the oncoming traffic. Fortunately though, all the other drivers had seen the accident and had managed to stop in time.

Kathy and I checked we were unhurt and got out of the car by ourselves. Lots of people rushed up to us to ask if we were okay and did we need an ambulance. Apart from me being aware of a pain in the right hand side of my back and Kathy had a cut on her right wrist, we had pretty much come out unscathed.

The police and ambulance quickly arrived at the scene. Our car was a write-off. The car that hit us, a BMW 1 series had very little damage. The driver and his three passengers were trainee airline pilots and they were late for a training course.
There were several witnesses who said the driver who hit us was driving like a maniac.

The police officer who was dealing with the incident rang us the next day to say that the offending driver had been formally interviewed, who had admitted he was in the wrong and had not checked his blind-spot in the fast lane where a van driver had been travelling fast that he had swerved to avoid. The driver was to be prosecuted for dangerous driving and 'other' offences, and that I had done nothing wrong.

All that was in our minds at the time of the accident was that we didn't want to miss the appointment with the Estate Agent. Once we were sorted out at the scene, we collected most of our belongings from the car and rang for a taxi from a nearby garage.

We got to our appointment on time and viewed the house with the Estate Agent and the owner of the house. We put in an offer right away which was accepted.

The next day I was in such agony with pain from muscle spasms in my back that I had to go to the A & E Department at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
The doctor I saw did a thorough examination of my spine, neck and kidneys and said that they were alright and that I had torn muscles in my back. He gave me some strong painkillers in the hospital and a prescription of some other painkillers to take away with me. He also checked Kathy at the same time as she was experiencing pain in her neck and shoulders. After a thorough check, similar to me, he said she had whip-lash injuries, which were slightly milder than my back injury.

The down-side to all this was that we were unable to travel back home as we had intended, so had to arrange for further accomodation in the hotel.

I contacted the insurance company and gave them all the relevant facts, and they said that I should keep a receipt for all the expenses we incurred and they would be re-imbursed later.

As regards our car - this had been towed away from the scene to a local garage and arrangements made to have it transported to a local Renault dealer in my home town. We'd been given free 'GAP' insurance when we first purchased the car two years ago as part of a special deal, which meant that in the event the car was an accident write-off we would get the full replacement of a brand new car.

We could have been given a loan car by Renault within two-and-a-half hours of requesting one, but as the pain in my back prevented me from driving back home, and it was too far for Kathy to drive with her whip-lash injury, we had to make alternative arrangements to get home.
Enquiries with the train company revealed that our tickets did not guarantee us seats. We could sit in any vacant seats but if ticket holders arrived for reserved seats we would have to give them up. And depending how busy the train was, we could end up standing all the way home. There was no way we could stand for any length of time so that was totally unacceptable.

We finally managed to get a booking on a National Express coach for Friday 8 October, which would take us 11 hours to get home. It left Christchurch at 8.45am with a 4-hour journey to London Victoria Station, where we would have a 45 minute wait before taking the next coach from there to our home town in a 7 hour journey.
The coach seats were very cramped so it wasn't a particularly comfortable journey, but it was the only option we had to get home.
Anyway, we got back at 7.30pm and breathed a big sigh of relief.

We had heard that the Renault Clio (our crashed car) had a very good safety record for accident protection. From our experience we would say that was definitely true, and would certainly recommend this vehicle to anyone. It saved our lives anyway.

The only thing that had kept us going through this nightmare experience was that we had finally got the home we had wanted.

Now we're home again, we can start to get down to business and get set for the move. It's estimated to take between 4 to 6 weeks. There are no chains involved, which is a big plus. The lady buying our house is in rented accomodation, and it will be a cash sale. The lady we're buying our house from is going to Australia and can move out immediately. Our house is mortage free and we can move out quickly.
So, we're probably looking at around mid-November for the move to happen and we should definitely be settled in our new home for Christmas.

Our new house has a lovely front garden, not too big to be unmanageable, and it goes around the whole of the house. The rural location is so quiet that you can hear the birds singing nearby. No sounds of traffic or anything else. Marvellous. A few seconds walk from the front door are fields and woodland, and being part of the New Forest the area is protected and will never be built on. This is such a change from the main road we currently live on, where the drone of traffic noise is pretty much constant and very irritating.

Once we get settled in I'll post some photos of our new garden and the surrounding area. The garden is currently well established with shrubs and flowers, so we'll need to identify these where possible and see what else sprouts up.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 09, 2010, 06:46:16 PM: We corresponded by email earler today and the more Ive thought about it since then I realise just how lucky you both are to be alive!

Its a miracle you were not critically injured. Back injuries and whiplash are notorious for worsening a few days after the incident. You both should be able to make a claim, but money would not pay for life with a permanent injury. That does not bear thinking about.

I'm very relieved to hear you did not get hit by a second car coming at speed.
You will have nightmares about that!

The good news is great!
I'm very happy for you both, especially since the transactions are not complicated. You are a very well organized couple and will have the move completed with ease!

A new garden!!
Heres wishing you health and prosperity to enjoy it Laurie and Kathy - and a speedy recovery from your injuries.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Lyn and Malcolm on October 09, 2010, 07:40:33 PM: On that Tuesday at that time, Lyn was just 2 miles away from you in Southampton General Hospital waiting to go down for an operation.

You were very lucky not to have been taken to hospital after that accident you describe.

I reckon you will be very happy living in the New Forest area, much better than windy cold Norfolk, being near the sea there, you will get more sunshine than further inland, caused by the sea breeze effect, believe it or not.
Lots of really good birdwatching nearby too.

We are just over the Hampshire/ Dorset border about 9 miles from New Forest, where I worked for 10 years before going self employed.

Welcome down south.

Malcolm
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 09, 2010, 08:35:57 PM: Thank you George and Malcolm. The worst consequences don't really bear thinking about. We were very lucky indeed.

If we hadn't had the appointment to view the house we would have gone to the hospital for a check-up at the time, which most likely from that location could have been Southampton General Hospital. Wouldn't that have been a spooky experience Malcolm - a chance meeting like that. It wasn't until the following day that my back got much worse, so I couldn't put it off any longer.
I hope all has gone well with Lyn.

Birdwatching sites down there - way ahead of you Malcolm. We've already done our research and got some great sites earmarked. We're not going to need to travel far from our new home for lots of great walking and birdwatching areas.

Once we've settled in and you organise some of your garden open days for next year, we may just be able to drop in and see your wonderful gardens first hand. We never thought that would be possible just a couple of weeks ago.

At least we've got plenty to occupy our minds over the next few weeks, and not our accident. Someone was watching over us that day and decided it wasn't our time to go.

I've got 40 years of accident-free driving behind me, which includes some advanced police driving courses, so I think that could have a bearing on how I cope with driving in the future. Once I'm fit enough to drive again I don't think I will be timid or reluctant to take to the roads again. I will still apply the same road sense and driving skills I have attained over the years, but the one thing you can never avoid is an idiot driver who suddenly runs into you at speed.

Anyway, that's all behind us now so we're just looking to the future.

We've managed to find the Estate Agents brochure for the house so I've posted it here as a taster for photos of my own at a later date.

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/hampshire-bungalow.jpg)

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Palustris on October 10, 2010, 10:32:01 AM: Sheeesh!
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 10, 2010, 12:56:19 PM: How are you today Laurie and Kathy?

Your new house is set in a very natural environment, judging by that photo!
And... that sunshine and blue sky - have you been playing with photoshop? :D
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 10, 2010, 03:09:26 PM: Thank you for your concern George and checking how we are doing.

My back pain is slightly less painful than yesterday, but it does stiffen up as the day goes on and if I twist or put excess strain on my back I still get a sharp pain. I'm still taking painkillers that the Doctor at A & E Department of Royal Bournemouth Hospital prescribed for me, and I'll be visiting my GP for further painkillers as necessary until I start to heal properly.
In between times I'm making use of my heat-lamp. It is gradually improving day by day, so we're hoping for a quick recovery.

Kathy's whip-lash injuries to her neck and shoulders has eased though.

We're currently going through the questionnaires we have been sent by the Accident Insurance company who are handling our claim for vehicle damage and personal injury. We've both been sent the same forms to fill in, but as you can imagine they require a lot of detail.

We still need to find out if our wrecked car has arrived at our local Renault dealer so we can recover the remainder of our personal items we weren't able to carry after the accident, before it was towed away.
Then we need to organise a replacement vehicle to be delivered to our house for when I'm in a fit state to drive again.

Our main concern at the moment though is that neither of us are fully fit enough to do all the required sorting and packing of furniture and items to take on the move. I know that the chosen removal company can be asked to do the packing for you, at an extra cost, but there are still things we have to do ourselves first. We're sending a covering letter to the Insurance Company with our current list of incurred expenses, and what help and financial assistance they can give should we need the removal company to do the bulk of the packaging for us.

This accident couldn't have happened at a worse time. The excitement of the move has been slightly tainted by us not being fully fit to get on with the job ourselves. We've got no family or friends to call on to help us out either.

We just hope that this insurance claim is sorted out quickly. Although we've been told we will be re-imbursed, we've still had to spend hundreds of pounds of our own money in the first place.

Anyway, that aside - no, I didn't use Photoshop to enhance that photo of our new house ;D Isn't it just gorgeous though. It was actually like that on the day we viewed it so it is absolutely real. We have it on good authority (Malcolm) that the weather in that southern region is very good. On the day we left Hampshire to return home it was dry, warm and sunny. The further north we got the weather changed to what we have come to expect - cold, misty and overcast, although it didn't actually rain.

We'll probably have to be adjusting our gardening techniques down there as well. We have been told the water supply is HARD, and because of the chalky cliffs of the Jurassic coastline the soil will be acidic. A new learning curve here we guess. What will flourish the best and what won't, etc., etc. No doubt we'll get the usual invaluable assistance and information from our members to help us out :D

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 10, 2010, 07:02:33 PM: I hope that pain doesn't linger with you folk, Laurie. You've got a lot of work to do!
Good luck with the form filling. Its as much fun as a trip to the dentist.

The house does indeed look gorgeous Laurie. I'm sure you cant wait to be moved in.
What an exciting year you have ahead!
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: roiphil on October 11, 2010, 07:46:14 PM: crikey you guys have been through a lot of late, hope you start to feel better soon, heat on the back pain works well, i have a heat pad that straps around around the waist and you plug it in and switch it on it works brilliant when the back is playing up, your new house look fantastic hope the move goes well and swiftly
Phill
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Palustris on October 14, 2010, 12:26:32 PM: Progress report?
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 14, 2010, 08:29:08 PM: Our wrecked car has arrived at a local Renault dealer, although we've not been able to see it yet.

I'm still getting severe bouts of gripping muscle spasm pain in my back, which I'm nursing with painkillers, Deep-Heat adhesive packs over the affected area which lasts for 8 hours at a time, and a heat-lamp. This gives some relief, but if I happen to twist awkwardly or get up from a chair a bit too fast it is easily aggravated. It's going to take its time to heal unfortunately.

I'm sick of filling in insurance claim forms and making numerous phone calls to get the process sorted out, but it's necessary and has to be done.

We've had a loan car delivered to our house for use in the meantime, but I am unable to drive it just yet. Kathy still has slighter whip-lash pain in her neck and shoulders and has more mobility than me at the moment, but not enough to chance driving yet.

Shopping online for our food deliveries is a big help.

Our house sale is going well. We've received the contract of sale from our solicitors to sign and return. The document is not legally binding at this time though until the contracts are dated and actually exchanged between the buyer and vendor. It just saves time to have them all completed in advance.

We're waiting for our buyer to organise a structural survey of our house, then once that has been done we can arrange the same for the house we are buying. The Estate Agent for our house sale doesn't advise arranging a survey of our new house until this has been done.

We're just having to sit back and let all the legal stuff take its course.

A removal company has looked around our house to see what we're taking with us and has given us a free estimate. We were very pleasantly surprised at how cheap the price will be. It's a reputable firm with ample insurance cover for any damages and is well experienced in long-distance removals.

In the meantime we're sorting through our stuff, throwing out unwanted clutter, and boxing up what we can within our capabilites without overdoing it. As we're down-sizing, we're getting rid of a lot of items of furniture, thus saving on removal costs and time.

That's pretty much up-to-date at the moment. The extra hassle of sorting out the accident claim will probably make the time pass faster in between waiting for the legalities of the house move taking place in the background.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 14, 2010, 08:46:21 PM: Its going to need a lot of patience during the recovery process, Kathy and Laurie.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Palustris on October 14, 2010, 09:01:18 PM: Been there with the back pain. Snapped the muscke between my shoulder blades many years ago carrying the school disco equipment. Took ages to heal. Sadly rest and gentle treatrment is the only way.
As for insurance forms, tell me about it. Had to do them for daughter when someone kindly drove into the back of her. She had done just 11 miles altogeether in the car. At least you are an experienced driver so you should be okay when you get back behind the wheel.
Crongers fissed for you!
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 16, 2010, 12:09:30 PM: Thanks for your encoragement Eric, much appreciated. :)

Got up today and my back pain seemed slightly easier. Then I sneezed and put myself in agony with the strain of it. ::) Darn it. :'(

Took some Ibuprofen and it eased the pain, enough for us to do a bit more sorting of drawers and cupboards. Lots of good quality stuff for the charity shops. Teesside Hospice is a good one up here, as they also collect from your house. As there's a couple of drawer units, tables and chairs and other large items, this is ideal for us as we'd not be able to get them to their local shop otherwise.

You don't realise how much 'stuff' you've accumulated over the years until you have a good sort. I'd recommend a house move to anyone wanting to de-clutter their house .......... NOT!!! ;D
We'll be glad when it's all over and done with.

Still not fit enough to attempt safe driving yet though. Again, you don't realise how much you rely on a car when you can't use one for a while. Kathy's still got some stiffness in her neck and shoulders so it's a slow recovery process for both of us at the moment. At least we're able to do some things now to save time later, so we're not running around like headless chickens at the last minute. ::)

Our buyers have arranged for a structural surveyor to call, so we're waiting to hear from them. So, things are moving along nicely.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Palustris on October 16, 2010, 05:58:12 PM: I use a Ketoprofen (called Powergel) only available on prescription, but well worth the effort of getting it. Rubbed gently into any inflamed area it definitley reduces the pain for me. Sadly it does not work for everyone and not on all types of pain.
Don't do what I did when moving house in 1963 and throw away a first edition of The Hobbit because we did not have the room for all my books in our new domicile.
We downsized with a vengeance when we came here and yes it is a good way to get rid of accumulated 'might need it one day' stuff.
Sneezing is a dangerous occupation!
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Eric Hardy on October 17, 2010, 04:25:56 PM: Sorry, I had not read this before I asked my question in my last post. No need to answer it! I hope you really enjoy your new location.

Best wishes

Eric
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 18, 2010, 04:31:10 PM: Managed to get to the local garage where our wrecked car had been transported, and recovered some personal items.

The insurers have evaluated the damage and say it is uneconomical to repair. Therefore it's destined for the scrap-yard.

We took some photos of the car before we left with Kathy's mobile phone, so prepare to be shocked at the damage - I was. :o

The photo with the broken front passenger windscreen, where Kathy had been sitting, was caused by her handbag being projected forward on impact with the crash barrier prior to the air-bags being deployed.

Although you can see the bonnet on the car in these photos, it actually came off in the accident and was laid on the road.

It doesn't look too bad from this angle.... but wait.
(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio01.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio02.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio03.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio04.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio05.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio06.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio07.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio08.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio09.jpg)

(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio10.jpg)

Looking inside to the rear seats and boot shows just had badly that area was crushed.
(http://www.pixiemouse.com/igforum/clio11.jpg)

2 years old in February 2011 and only 6,000 miles on the clock.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 18, 2010, 05:44:56 PM: That really is shocking, Laurie. You folk were very lucky to get out of that alive!
Not something you want to dwell on, I'm sure.

How is the recovery process going?
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 18, 2010, 05:57:55 PM: I'm still resorting to Ibuprofen for the pain, but it is a lot better.

It only 'hurts when I laugh' (as the saying goes) and when I sneeze or cough :D otherwise I'm getting a bit more mobile.

We actually went to the garage today in the loan car we've been given until the insurance claim is sorted out - goodness knows when that will be though ::)
I wasn't certain how I'd manage but it went okay. We had no concerns about being on the road again driving, it was just whether I could cope without aggravating my back pain. Seems to be okay.

I still treat all other drivers as idiots, which I have done since I passed my driving test at age 17, so nothing has changed there. I can't drive any more carefully than I've been doing since the accident, but you just can't plan for irratic maniacs coming out of nowhere at you. You're either lucky or not under those circumstances.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Lyn and Malcolm on October 18, 2010, 10:57:43 PM: No wonder it was uneconomical to repair, but I guess that was what saved you both from serious injury.
And to walk away, then continue to meet the estate agent :o

Malcolm
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: roiphil on October 19, 2010, 08:46:53 PM: Quote
treat all other drivers as idiots
exactly what my driving instuctor told me when i passed my test 23 years ago because you never know what the person in the other car is thinking of doing, you 2 were very lucky looking at the state of the car in the pics,

When we moved from a town to the country, ok in ireland, but you will be surprised how much darker it is at night with no traffic lights it seems as if you can see more stars aswell, hope all is still going to plan for your move
Phil
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 19, 2010, 09:17:23 PM: Very lucky in the accident indeed Phil.

Our house move is going great. Our Estate Agent told us today that the buyer of our house has got a structural survey organised, so we're just waiting to hear from him to arrange a day to call.

We've got a structural survey organised to inspect the house we're buying, and in both houses we're not anticipating any problems being found.

Watch this space for further developments.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: Eric Hardy on October 20, 2010, 11:21:51 AM: My goodness! I was not very thorough in reading this thread, I had only read your initial post about your relocation when I made my last comment. I had not read through to your accounts of your accident. Your posted photos alerted me to it. It could have been so much worse. What a terrible shock Thank God you are both still alive!
On a more flippant note, I see there are still a jolly good set of tyres on that car ;D
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 20, 2010, 01:08:30 PM: Quote from: Eric Hardy on October 20, 2010, 11:21:51 AM
On a more flippant note, I see there are still a jolly good set of tyres on that car ;D
Nice one Eric. :D

We still can't believe it ourselves. From the extent of the damage to the car, that we walked away from it with just whip-lash injuries is a miracle.
I say JUST, but that in itself can be very painful, but we're very thankful that we were able to walk away from it with all our bits intact.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 23, 2010, 01:51:48 PM: How many vehicles were involved, Laurie? Your car looks like it has had a number of impacts.
Hows the recovery process going?
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 23, 2010, 02:33:08 PM: Believe it or not George there was only the ONE car that hit us that was involved.

The damage you can see to the rear offside of our car on the photos I posted, was caused by the car that hit us. The front end damage was caused by us hitting the crash barrier.

The crumpling of the boot and rear window knocked out was all from the rear-end hit. It's hard to believe that all that damage was caused by just one vehicle. You can only imagine the devastation if any other cars had hit us after the initial impact.

Recovery process is going okay. I'm getting more and more mobile each day. I'm able to drive the loan car without any physical problems, so at least we can get about more now.

We're doing the best we can to continue sorting through the stuff we're taking and stuff we're not. We've had a run to the local recycling centre ('tip') today to get rid of lots of unwanted items, and there's still more to go there.

The local Teesside Hospice charity van called on Thursday to take away some furniture and other household items. Unfortunately, they're not allowed to take anything electrical so we're having to dispose of them at the local 'tip.' Not worth the time and hassle of trying to sell privately.

Still trying to get the car claim sorted out. Got a letter from the Renault insurance claim department today confirming they'd received the report from the assessor that it was an uneconomical repair. They said that the wrecked car is still our responsibility and we have to make arrangements to have it scrapped. There's still some finance payments owing on it and we have the GAP insurance policy in place which guarantees us a brand new replacement in the event of an accident write-off (which this is). But they don't tell you what the procedure is now to do all this, so we'll have to be ringing them again on Monday to find out what we have to do next.
It's just extra hassle we don't want. The only thing it's doing is making the time pass quicker whilst the house move legalities are proceeding in the background.

On that note, the survey has been done on the house we're buying so we're just waiting to receive that report.
The lady who is buying our house is having a bit more difficulty finding a surveyor to check our house. Apparently, when the property boom went into decline (at least as far as the northeast is concerned), there were too many surveyors employed for the limited house surveys, so a lot of them were let go. Now they're finding that there's more work than they can cope with, consequently there are longer delays. Our buyers' daughter is handling all the arrangements and the whole of last week was wasted by a surveyor who they'd paid in advance for and she found out they could not do the job for about three weeks. Something she was not told by them originally but discovered by hounding them for a date. And she works in a solicitors office. Anyway, after asking for a refund it turns out she's managed to find another surveyor who can hopefully do it sometime next week. So we're just waiting for his call to arrange a time to visit. He can call on us at any time really, there's no days that aren't suitable, so that should save a bit of time.

So that's pretty much where we're at just now. Hassle, hassle, and more hassle. ::) As if just moving house wasn't bad enough, we've got this car claim to worry about. >:(

More later as things develop.

Laurie.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: ideasguy on October 23, 2010, 04:55:16 PM: Its good to hear you are making progress, Laurie. Best wishes for a full recovery.
RE:
Quote
You can only imagine the devastation if any other cars had hit us after the initial impact.
That just does not bear thinking about! Its a miracle you folk had such a lucky escape, particularly since it was a very busy road (although lucky is not a good word to use in such circumstances!).

Good luck with the insurance claim. Giving them money is relatively easy and hassle free >:(
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: newplantguy on October 26, 2010, 03:24:33 PM: Back from holiday, shock to read about your accident and to see pictures of the car. Glad to read that you are on the mend and that your house move is moving along.
I drive about 20k a year and the standard of driving that some people seem to adopt takes some believing.
Paul.
Title: Re: Bitter sweet last few days
Post by: NightHawk on October 26, 2010, 03:45:57 PM: Thanks Paul, much appreciated.

Indeed it was a shock to all on the Forum.

Laurie.