Car Accident Advice Please - Happened at Commuting for Work

Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 20:10
Last edited 02/03/2018 - 20:34 by 1 other user

Hi guys. Need help.

I am a doctor and was going from day job at clinic to night shift at another hospital. A lapse of concentration and bang. I came out of side road and couldn't see the car coming on main road due to traffic blocking view and relied on the lady on right of my car. Guess now I learnt the hard way.

$750 excess later and both cars being towed away, and catching cab to work shaken, and losing an hours double rate. I am wondering if I can save some money or hassle as it happened in private car while commuting for work but fault was mine. Any suggestion will be great.

First time accident so have lodged claim with AAMI but they will take their time.

Automotive

Comments

  • oscargamer on 02/03/2018 - 20:12
    +14

    Nope. Pay excess. Book more OT. Drive better. Try not to crash and hurt people…….the irony.

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 20:25
      +1

      Thanks

    • pegaxs on 02/03/2018 - 21:06
      +15

      Or how about less OT and more time to relax and sleep. Don’t burn the candle at both ends. If anything, a Dr. should know better. Patching car accident victims back together would be enough to make me hyper aware of my driving and my environment…

  • Xiaomi on 02/03/2018 - 20:24
    +3

    I worked as an insurance claim and settlement specialist. 95% of your post is not essential, your job did not require you to drive, your personal circumstances of driving from one job to another did.

    You are at fault. Pay the $750, which let's be honest, is better than the thousands you may have had to pay without it. You are already saving thousands what more do you want? If you wanted $0 excess than that is an option when you take out your policy… You had the option and you did not select it.

    Deal with it.

  • coco1458 on 02/03/2018 - 20:28
    +2

    You're a doctor… don't you think you're paid enough to not worry about an hours double pay?

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 20:47
      +13

      Yes i don't mind but i am also ozbargainer lol

  • Baysew on 02/03/2018 - 20:39
    +2

    I assume that you have comprehensive insurance?

    If so $750 to fix both cars, that had to be towed away, is a bargain.

  • altomic on 02/03/2018 - 20:40
    +3

    Good answers above. Thread closed.

  • No on 02/03/2018 - 20:53

    Im wondering what you are asking here, are you looking to recoup the $750 excess & 2 hours pay somehow?

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 21:41

      Nope i was asking abut work cover

      • No on 02/03/2018 - 21:48
        +1

        I think work cover only covers injury.

  • Scab on 02/03/2018 - 21:11
    +1

    I am a doctor
    $750 excess

    Claim it on Medicare.

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 21:40
      +1

      Not all doctors make fortune lol

      • Scab on 02/03/2018 - 22:40

        I've always wondered about this, can doctors check their own prostate or do they get colleagues to do it?

  • R3XNebular on 02/03/2018 - 21:15

    Doesn't work cover get involved?

  • ozb10 on 02/03/2018 - 21:19

    If you were traveling directly from your day job to your night job, I think you could claim it as tax deduction?
    https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/Ded…

    It also depends on the method you are claiming your car expenses.
    Just give the invoice to your accountant when you do you tax and let them deal with it.

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 21:40

      That was my question. Thanks

    • JimmyF on 02/03/2018 - 22:12
      +2

      Just like speeding/parking fines, you can't claim insurance excesses as 'work related' expenses.

      • ozb10 on 02/03/2018 - 22:48

        Fines are specifically excluded from tax deductions as my general understanding, but I don't recall exclusion on insurance excesses.

        Let's say I damaged my car during work and needed a repair, I could claim insurance and pay excess or just pay directly to a mechanic for repair. I am fairly sure cost of repair is tax deductible and so is insurance premium, so I would think that insurance excess is just treated as part of the cost of repair. And even if the excess is to repair the car of the third party, it still seems to be deductible according to: https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/Ded…

        "Damage caused to third party motor vehicle in the course of your employment

        Where you use your own motor vehicle in the course of your employment, you may be entitled to a deduction for the costs you incurred if you are:

        involved in an accident which causes damage to a third-party vehicle, and
liable for the damages/compensation for the damage caused to the other vehicle, you may be entitled to a deduction for the costs you incurred.

        Where an accident occurs in the course of producing your assessable income, the expenses associated with the liability to pay for the damage to the other vehicle involved in the accident are incidental and relevant to the production of your assessable income. They are not capital, private or domestic."

        Just my understanding, happy to be corrected as I am no expert.

  • JimmyF on 02/03/2018 - 21:20

    Not works fault, not driving for work…. Nope, all yours to pay.

    • Royale with cheese on 02/03/2018 - 21:40

      True

      • JimmyF on 02/03/2018 - 22:11

        Sorry OP, it is what it is…. At least you're ok and everyone else is ok too.

        • Royale with cheese on 03/03/2018 - 00:01
          +1

          Exactly

        • Fake News on 03/03/2018 - 07:32

          @Royale with cheese:
          If you were travelling from one site to another site to perform work for the same employer (e.g. you were travelling from your clinic to make a home visit for a patient) you may be able to claim work cover if you were injured, and if you had been driving a work vehicle they may not chase you for the excess.

          Your work/work cover would not compensate you if you had an accident on the way to your first job in the morning. Pay the excess and be glad no one was hurt.

        • Royale with cheese on 03/03/2018 - 10:32

          @gina: thanks. No one got injured. I was travelling from one job location to other within same health district in private car. As someone suggested above, best bet is tax return claim. I think work cover claim may affect future jobs

    • [Deactivated] on 03/03/2018 - 11:23

      Not correct:
      https://www.smithslawyers.com.au/knowledgebase/info/workcove…
      This is Qld, but guess that it applies elsewhere.
      https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/rehab-and-claims/injuries-at…

  • Ozpit on 03/03/2018 - 09:09

    OP, I'm interested to know what you learned the hard way? The potential pitfalls of 'blind' driving, or the perils of placing your fate in the hands of ladies to the right of your car?

  • 87percent on 03/03/2018 - 11:18

    AAMI will push to use their repair company called Capital Smart. Don't let them use that company. They suck

  • ROTJ on 03/03/2018 - 13:09

    Travelling to/from work: Workcover will only cover injuries, not property/car damage. Travel from job to job: such travel legs are tax deductible…but it depends on which of two methods you claim car exps for tax: 1. "cents per km method" (can claim max 5000 work related kms)…cannot claim the $750 excess. 2. "Log book method"…can include the $750 as part of your total expenses, BUT you need to have kept a valid 12 week log book (which, in your situation, unlikely worth the trouble).

  • try2bhelpful on 03/03/2018 - 14:36

    The issue of tiredness is a serious one. A friend of mine's brother fell asleep riding his motorbike home from nightshift; he went through a T intersection and hit the curb on the other side. He wasn't badly hurt, but that could've been fatal.

  • HeWhoKnows on 03/03/2018 - 17:57

    Unsure what OP wants to know. Accident has happened. OP lives to save another life. Claim lodged. The End.

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