Sunday, March 21, 2010

Darren Bent in row over Aston Martin hire car

Darren Bent

WITH his £70,000 car off the road, Sunderland striker Darren Bent needed a hire car to commute to training and matches.

But an insurance company is now locked in a legal battle with the Black Cats star after he claimed an ‘excessive’ £63,000 to hire a top of the range Aston Martin while his own Mercedes was being repaired.

Bent’s Mercedes CLS Coupe was left with around £20,000 worth of damage after he was involved in a collision with another motorist in February 2007.

And with his sports car off the road he contacted credit hire firm Accident Exchange to arrange for a replacement vehicle.

But the car Bent selected was not a simple runaround.

He went for a luxurious Aston Martin DB9, which he hired for more than three months, at a cost of more than £500 a day payable by the other driver’s insurance company.

But the firm, Allianz, has now won a right to appeal against a court’s decision to award Bent the £63,000 it cost him to hire the vehicle, which most of his fans could only dream about driving.

Last night Martin Saunders, motor and casualty claims manager for Allianz Insurance, said the company planned to continue fighting Bent’s claim, which they believe was both excessive and unnecessary.

No comments:

Post a Comment