Taxi insurance claim after wheelie bin attack

A taxi driver and his three passengers narrowly escaped injury after yobs on a bridge threw a wheelie bin into his path.

The bin bounced on the 50mph road in front of the minibus and then "hit the bumper and cracked the grill. It then went over the bonnet, left a dent on the roof and landed on the road behind the taxi" according to a police spokeswoman. She continued "This could easily have had disastrous consequences had the driver not been able to take avoiding action".

The minibus was travelling along Western Avenue, Glenrothes, Fife early on Saturday morning 22nd August 2009 and the bin was thrown from the Collydean pedestrian bridge.

Our insurance expert says:

The insurance consequences of an incident like this are manyfold. Assuming the driver had basic insurance and that he was still able to drive, he would want a replacement taxi quickly so that he could continue work straight away. Many policies don't include it, so it's worth asking if that would be provided by any prospective taxi insurer. Plating is an issue too so can't be assumed. If it is provided it would usually be for a no-fault accident. In this case, while it is not the fault of the driver, like a fault accident there is no-one to claim off. To get a replacement taxi for a fault accident would normally require an additional premium. Remember that even a small bodywork dent can mean a week off work waiting for the various layers of car paint to dry.

Of course any claims made by his passengers inside the taxi will be covered by basic taxi insurance but if, for instance, the driver helped to transfer the passengers' luggage to a friend's taxi on the night and he dropped a suitcase on a passenger's toe, that would require public liability cover. It might be included in the policy, or may be optional. Local authorities do require it when doing work for the council.

Having dispatched his passengers, roadside assistance might have been a good idea, particularly if the car is no longer roadworthy.

Since there is no-one to claim from in this instance, a loss of earnings payment would be unlikely to be paid. If the driver were injured and unable to drive, personal accident cover at a small additional premium would probably provide some income. The problem is, this is a case of malicious damage similar to, for instance, being attacked in the street. In a car accident each party is insured. Here, there's no-one to claim the costs from, especially since the culprits haven't yet been caught.

Uninsured loss cover would help this driver recover things like out of pocket expenses, the excess (typically £500), personal injury compensation, the cost of car hire and other transport, damage to clothes, and so on. The small additional amount is also worth considering as paying out while earning less is a double hit.

Often a full package of cover is available that includes most or all of these elements but it's worth checking what you're getting to make sure you're comparing offers not just on price. Other aspects to check might include cover for personal effects, money (theft) and luggage damage.

Metcalfe Insurance Services is an independent insurance broker authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority offering business and individual insurance services.