This is a bit of an odd one. I was driving home the other night along a stretch of road that goes from being a 2 lane carriageway to a single lane. Once it went down to a single lane a young lad approached at speed, pulled past into the now painted off second lane, realized there were bollards in the middle of the road and a couple of car lengths in front of me tried to pull back in but lost control of his car and had a crash. I stopped, called the emergency services and with other people who had stopped dealt with the situation until the proffesionals arrived - unfortunately the lad is in a bad way. I left a brief statement with a police officer and was told I was free to go but someone would be in touch for a full statement.

The following day I get a phone call but it's to provide my vehicle to be examined just to eliminate it from any involvement which I'm told may take a day or 2. I'm not overly impressed but I figure if it helps put the lad's families mind at ease fair enough. When they come and collect the car I am then told it may be up to a week before I get it back as it's not going to be that high a priority looking at a car with not a scratch on it. Again inconvenient but thinking the Police's job is hard enough I don't make a fuss but ask that they try to get it me back for the start of the following week (I was able to borrow a company pool car in the meantime) the only paperwork I am given is a leaflet for vehicle accidents with the incident number and the officers details on - nothing in any way official.

By the weekend my company tells me they need the pool car back monday to be used elsewhere. So I try to get hold of the officer but he's not in again until monday. Monday comes and he gives me a call, they've looked at my car and they are happy but because the lad is still in a poor state they have sent out a letter to his insurance company to see if they also want to look at my car (that wasn't even involved in the accident!) and the insurance company has 28 days to respond. The officer suggests i speak to my insurer who may provide a courtesy car and claim it back off the other parties insurance. I speak to my insurer and they are as befuddled as everyone else I speak to but try to be helpful saying they will speak to higher ups as they have never come across this and take the police officer's number to speak to him too. They get to me a few hours later and are very sorry but as my vehicle hasn't actually been in an accident there is nothing they can do (understandably).

So I ring the officer back but he is now presumably off duty. I send him a txt explaining the situation and that I am now left without a vehicle to get too and from work 30 miles away, as far as I'm concerned if the police are happy and I have fulfilled any legal obligation on my part so I'd like my car back, if the lads insurers want to look at the car that's fine but they need to provide me with a courtesy car in the meantime.

I call the officer the next day and he is sympathetic but hasn't the authority to release the car, he needs to speak to the chief investigating officer who is off until tomorrow, in the meantime he will try to speak to someone else to see if they can release the car...He rings back later to say no they can't. He has sent an email to the investigating officer who will be in at 7am, I can also try ringing the incident line at that time quoting to the incident number to get hold of him.

7:30 I ring the incident line, give them the incident number and they have the contact details of the officer I already have been speaking to but don't know who is boss is. Oh and the officer I was speaking to is now off for the next 10 days. They'll try to track down who the other officer is and be in touch.