“I was really, really lucky to get out of that”
When a stolen lorry crashed into his car, Ian was lucky to walk away without serious injury. It could have been so much worse, but Ian’s life was still affected by the unthinking action of two criminals.
I was leaving my office to come home. I had literally just set off from the traffic lights when all of a sudden there was an almighty crash.
The impact shattered Ian’s windscreen, showering the car with glass and forcing him across to the other side of the road.
“I was shoved over to the other side of the road. I don’t know if my momentum carried on as the car stopped.”
Remarkably, Ian was able to get out of the car. When he looked back, he saw just how close he had come to serious harm. The cab of the lorry was resting on his vehicle, while the rest of it was wedged against a bridge.
“When I look back, I know I was really, really lucky to get out of that.”
By the time Ian took out his phone to take photos, the two people in the lorry had climbed out of the cab and run away.
Although Ian felt largely unharmed at first, the effects of the collision soon became clear.
“The first time I noticed any real pain was when I woke up in the morning. It was my shoulder that was hurting.” The injury restricted his movement and required ongoing treatment.
“I did have one set of injections in my shoulder which seemed to ease it off. A few months later, I had another set of injections into my shoulder which helped it again.”
Ian called his insurance company from the scene of the accident. His car was recovered so that they could assess the damage and start repairs. However, because the lorry had been stolen and the driver was uninsured, they referred him to MIB.
“Obviously I couldn’t claim from a third-party insurer; being able to deal with MIB meant that I might actually get something in terms of compensation. I’m not quite sure what my options would have been.”
MIB helped Ian navigate what came next, supporting him at a time of uncertainty.
“You’ve got bills to pay and you don’t want to get into debt through something that’s not your own fault,” says Ian. “MIB definitely helped to alleviate some of the stress.”
Reflecting on the wider issue, Ian is clear about the risk uninsured and stolen vehicles pose. “I mean obviously they shouldn’t be on the road,” Ian adds. “I’d be much happier if there were no uninsured drivers on the road. It would make it a lot safer for everyone.”
