19/12/2022
Claims Case Study: Shrewsbury Honda Centre Ltd
As motorcycle enthusiasts, the Torque Bike team knows and understands that motorcyclists are vulnerable when they take to the road. A collision with another vehicle could cause serious injury, which is why riders are encouraged to ride defensively. This means acting proactively in the face of danger and taking evasive action when possible.
When our client, Shrewsbury Honda Centre Ltd, got in touch with us, it was because an employee had been forced to ride defensively on their scooter to avoid a collision. However, no contact had been made with the other vehicle, which made the case far from straightforward.
The background
In April 2019, a technician from Shrewsbury Honda Centre was riding a business scooter to work. He was correctly riding in the right-hand lane of a 2-lane section of road before a junction. The left-hand lane was stationary, but the employee’s lane was moving.
A third-party car pulled out from the exit of a business park, crossing the stationary lane before moving into the path of the employee’s scooter.
The employee swerved to avoid a collision, but the close proximity and abruptness of the car’s movements meant that they fell from the scooter. Fortunately, the rider was unharmed but the scooter was damaged. No contact occurred between the two vehicles.
Our client put in a claim for the car driver being at fault, but the car owner’s insurers denied liability.
Support from the Torque Bike team
The experience of the Torque Bike team meant that they understood the reason for the evasive action taken by the employee. As a result, they knew that there was a case, despite there being no collision.
Our in-house Claims Handler encouraged the client to find a witness for the event. They would be invited to make a statement about how a collision had been imminent.
The employee posted a message on Facebook asking for witnesses. One came forward and made a statement. She also agreed to testify in court to support our client.
“We worked with Senior Claims Technician Emma Cuviello at One Broker and she kept on it and kept in touch with the other insurers,” explained Bridget Henderson, Director of Shrewsbury Honda Centre. “She chipped away at it until it eventually went to court.”
A successful claim
When the case went to a Court Hearing, the judge ruled in favour of the client. The car driver’s insurer was ordered to pay our client’s repair costs.
Thanks to the Torque Bike team’s knowledge and understanding of a rider’s vulnerability and their determination to get the right outcome for the client, this case was pushed forward until there was a successful resolution.
“One Broker’s knowledge of the motorcycle industry definitely helped,” said Bridget Henderson. “There aren’t many insurance brokers who specialise in our industry, but they saw straight away that there was a case because they understand how vulnerable motorcyclists are and that you always have to be watching other road users.”
The vulnerability of motorcyclists has now been recognised in the regulations of The Highway Code, which includes a new section titled ‘The Hierarchy of Road Users’. It sets out that larger vehicles must give way to more vulnerable road users. In the case of motorcycles, drivers of cars, vans and HGVs must show them consideration, something that did not happen in this case.
“I would definitely recommend One Broker’s Torque Bike team,” concluded Bridget Henderson. “They are always competitive and very knowledgeable. They understand and they are also always at the end of the phone.”
Talk to our team today
If you would like to talk to our team about your own Motorcycle Trade Insurance needs, you can get in touch by calling 0845 467 8737.
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