Furious dad claims JustEat driver smashed into his car then drove off

30 January 2024 , 18:21

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A Just Eats driver allegedly crashed into a car after failing to deliver McDonald's (Image: ChronicleLive)

While a McDonald's breakfast usually makes for a great start to the day, a dad was left enraged after a JustEat driver allegedly crashed into his car and drove away.

Anthony Coff's daughter, Adele, 19, from Wickham, Gateshead, woke up feeling a little peckish and decided to treat herself to some fast food. With a sense of excitement in the air, she tracked the meal on the app as it made its way to the family home.

When the teenager went to the door to collect the eagerly-anticipated order, she said she was stunned to witness a male driver, who was in a dark grey car, crash into her dad's Mercedes Benz C220. To make matters worse, Adele didn't even get to quench her hunger as the man all drove off without speaking to her or giving her the breakfast.

The collision has resulted in a huge dent in the back of Anthony's car, which he relies on for work and will have to pay a £500 excess in insurance for. JustEat has confirmed it suspended the driver until a thorough investigation was carried out. In addition, it intended to refund Adele.

Anthony was furious after discovering the damage to his car (ChronicleLive)

Following the breakfast disaster, Anthony reported the incident to JustEat and Northumbria Police. He said: "I was at Close House in Heddon with my wife, and I received a phone call from my daughter on Thursday morning. She basically said that she had ordered a Just Eat and had been tracking the driver on her phone.

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"She went out for the delivery, and he came around the corner and smashed into my car, causing quite extensive damage. My daughter has gone down the street to get her food, and they've driven off. He didn't even drop the food off. I was obviously shocked. My car was parked in the street, and you don't expect that to happen. It's disgusting that they didn't stop and drove away. According to the Road Traffic Act, it's illegal to do that. I do care in the community so it hinders me getting out to see my clients, it's just awful. I'm going to be out of pocket as I will have to fix my car. It's a financial burden on me."

Adele's dad explained: "She didn't manage to get the registration of the car as she was in such shock. She had to go to work, and she was absolutely starving. It's atrocious, it's so, so upsetting."

The police and Just Eat are investigating the incident (ChronicleLive)

He continued: "I actually went to McDonald's to see if I could see any driver with damage to their car. I waited outside McDonald's for a couple of hours, but I had no luck. JustEat just said they couldn't provide us with any information. They did say that they would assist the police in any enquiries, which I believe they are doing. I think they're going to give my daughter a refund, but it hasn't come to fruition yet."

A spokesperson for the company said: "At JustEat, we expect all couriers delivering on our behalf to drive respectfully and responsibly at all times. We provide guidance to our independent restaurant partners and self-employed contractors to ensure they follow the rules of the road. If we are ever made aware that a courier delivering on our behalf has acted in a way that does not uphold the standards we hope to deliver, we investigate and take appropriate action as required. We are currently investigating this incident and are supporting the police with their investigation. We have also issued a full refund to the customer and have suspended the courier pending formal investigation."

Northumbria Police has confirmed it was aware of the incident and are currently conducting enquiries to track down the driver.

A spokesperson said: "Shortly after 3.10 pm on Thursday, January 25, police received a report of a collision on Broadpool Terrace in Whickham. It was reported that a car had been travelling on the road when, for reasons yet to be established, it has collided with a parked car on the street, causing damage.

"The driver has then left the area and the incident was later reported to police. Enquiries to trace the driver are ongoing. Anyone with information, or CCTV and dashcam footage, is asked to report to police using the ‘Report’ page on the Northumbria Police website or call 101 quoting reference number: NP-20240125-0680."

James Sweetnam