A SLOUGH resident is threatening court action against the council after their car was crushed by a large tree trunk.
A resident had their car that they had for five months written off when their parked KIA Niro bonnet was shattered by part of a tree at the Salt Hill Activity Centre in August.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said it would have been an approximate £13,000 job to repair the damaged vehicle.
During their time driving a rental car, they managed to find another KIA Niro similar in value miles away from Slough they claimed via their insurance company.
They said the council offered them £350 to cover the insurance excess. However, they are seeking £1,300 in compensation to cover costs they had incurred from this such as monthly insurance costs and road tax for the written-off vehicle and travel to purchase the replacement car.
But the council refused, saying the agreements they had with the driver’s insurers before the incident is beyond their control and the claimant chose the location of where they purchased the vehicle out of their own free will.
READ MORE: Bucks Council urged to reopen Burnham secondary school
The resident argues that they had incurred double the costs in one year because of this incident and claimed the council admitted liability over this as they didn’t maintain the site and the tree in question properly.
The council could face being taken to a small claims court by the volunteer if it does not cough up the funds they are demanding compensation for.
The resident said: “If they [the council] don’t compensate me for the costs that I have incurred, then I have no choice because it’s just not fair.
“I’m not asking for anything above and beyond or saying, ‘you need to compensate me for my distress or all this,’ just literally what it has cost me.”
A council spokesperson said: “The formal legal response was ‘We have concluded the claim within the principles of negligence law insurance cover and within the law of offering a fair indemnity’.
READ MORE: Maidenhead shopmobility will temporarily move out
“However, our understanding is also if they feel they have the right to claim for all the other things on their list, then that would be something for them to take up directly as part of the claims process or through their insurance company.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here