David’s story: why mobility scooter insurance is a must

David first took out mobility scooter insurance with Fish in 2003 having been diagnosed with severe arthritis in both his knees. After many claim free years the retired lorry driver, 79, of Bradford, had to call on his policy after an unfortunate accident at his local supermarket in November 2011. Having caused injury to another shopper he made a claim which, including legal bills, cost £12,664 to settle.

Recalling the incident, David says: “I went to ASDA to get the shopping and I pulled in behind a woman in the checkout queue and was just sitting there. I went to get my gloves from the little basket at the front of my scooter but didn’t realise that a lead from my stick was caught on the tiller [drive lever]. As I went to rest my gloves on my scooter lights the lead pushed the tiller down and of course I shot forward, hitting the woman in front of me.”

The injured woman was taken to A&E and three months later David received a letter at home claiming for injuries to her knees, hip, shoulder, neck and back, injuries which subsequently required physiotherapy treatment.

Having previously notified Fish of his accident David forwarded the letter to the specialist broker so it could handle their claim. “They took it from me, I didn’t have to do anything,” he recalls gratefully. After long negotiations between the insurer and the injured party’s solicitors settlement was finally agreed in July 2014. Having secured a reduction in the costs originally claimed by the solicitors of over £10,000, the final cost of the claim was £12,664.

So if he hadn’t been insured? “I don’t know what I would have done because I didn’t have the money to pay for it.” But of course he was protected. “I’ve always had cars, motorbikes and things and every time I’ve been insured. I’m one of those people who thinks that these things happen so I’ve got to get insurance.

I would recommend everybody with a mobility scooter gets insurance, even if they’re only travelling the odd mile on the pavement. They can still cause a lot of grief for someone.”

Another factor to consider for many mobility scooter users is how they might cope should their vehicle be accidentally damaged in the kind of everyday accidents – such as clipping a wall – that make up most of the claims Fish deals with. For David life without a scooter is unimaginable.

“I’m reliant all the time on my scooter because I can’t walk very far at all, maybe 20 yards or so and that would be it,” he says. “If I tried to carry something it would be impossible.”