Can anyone give me advice on what to do - I came home to find that there is a bit gauge in my house wall and a window box has been ripped off the wall, twisted and thrown down my drive.... Whilst puzzling to what happened, a lady stopped and said a bus came past at lunchtime very fast, and close to my house and caused the damage but didn't stop. She gave me her number and offered to be a witness. It annoys me cos it's not the cost so much as more work for me to get fixed, and also I don't want the bus driver to get away with it, if I damaged anyone else property I would put my hands up and leave a note. I hate even catching a bus, I did it for the first time in years recently, you would have thought I had really offended the driver cos I didn't have change and as well as being squashed I had to listen to two women argue the whole way about their use of language in front of their kids.... I will definitely walk or cycle instead of getting a bus. Never again. And then one damages my house! So my options do I - A) deal with it, take it on the chin and fix it and forget B) report to police and get the bus company to take responsibility Or any other advice?
Make the bus driver take responsibility, but is it worth the hassle or arguing for a window box and a bit of render / paint when I might not get anywhere, also my own stress levels chasing the bus company, it's the principle of it all. But it annoys me.
Get the bus company to take responsibility - if it is going to cost you to repair the house, so that it might be a claim on your buildings insurance, get the bus company to pay. We had something similar a few years ago. I came home one cold wet evening to find a small white van belonging to a local car parts company had gone through the front fence into my garden. My house is on a corner, where our cul de sac meets a suburban single carriageway road with a 30mph limit, while on the other side is the college car park entrance. To have planted himself so firmly in our front garden, the driver must either have been going way too fast or not paying attention. OK so the damage was only the fence (plus the little road name sign and a lamp post for the council to fix) but it still cost money to put right. Claimed on the buildings insurance, and they managed to recover from the driver's employer.
I understand your hesitation, certainly for me these days avoiding stress carries massive value. If you can truly shut off the whole experience in your mind then A is possibly your best route.
it possibly is if no-one fesses up and no obvious damage pertaining to the accident is found on a bus - can think of several similar stories told by irate people who had to give up without legal retribution. if the witness had jotted down a numberplate/if the perpretrator is easy to isolate then obviously would be worth considering.
Send letter to bus company - moderately shitty but not full on, both barrels flounce - and, if the repairs are reasonably low cost, effect repairs yourself. Keep receipts. Await bus co's answer, don't lose sleep!
B. Your witness must know the time so that will pretty much narrow it down to which bus. If no luck forget about it and move on.
I'll make my complaints I think, and possibly waste my time and energy. But I like the idea of stoning every bus that goes past, and see of they stop and complain! It's not worth the excess on insurance, and like most people have a value on their time wether with family or monetary, and I wonder how someone driving a bus, and think they are unaccountable, would feel if the same happened to them. Thank for advice chaps.
They might just send you the cash.We always settle minor claims that way,saves hassle/heartache.(I dock it from the Drivers wages anyway,up to a point-keeps them on their toes,and it's in their contract ) Have had the odd chancer trying it on,"my 1996 Clio wing mirror will cost £750 to fix",etc,but theres a meeting of minds when I tell them no worries contact your Insurance company/we'll deal with it that way. Buses might be big,but Transport Managers are human beings....
