I drove on red light at the intersection and a nissan SUV hit me on the side. There were 3 witnesses against me, and I didn't have an insurance then because it expired the month before. My car was damaged very bad(whole side of my car and frame), but the other car just had minor damage(just one side of headlight was broken). The other car's insurance company sent me a bill that's about $5000, and I think it's a bull s***! What happens if I don't pay them, and is there anything I can do about it? My car was damamged pretty bad and I have to pay that out of my pocket, and I have to pay $5000? Please anyone, help!!
2007-11-02 09:13:51 · 11 answers · asked by Joy 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
They will sue you (and win). Then you will be forced to pay the insurance company the 5K plus interest and court costs. If you don't have it the judge will make you liquidate any assets (like cars, computers, furniture, HOUSE, etc) and if you STILL don't have enough your wages will be attached. Do NOT fool around with these guys. They are dead serious about collections and will make your life a living hell for as long as it takes to collect -- not to mention destroying your credit. The insurance company will most likely let you make payments but be warned: you will only have one shot. Screw it up and you will find yourself in court so fast you won't believe it.
Don't you wish you had just paid your insurance premium?
2007-11-02 09:30:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you can't afford the insurance, don't drive. If you get stopped by the police and can't show proof of auto insurance, your license will be suspended for a period of time , and the car license will be confiscated. You will also have to pay a fine. If you allow your auto policy to cancel, and you owe a balance, if you don't pay it the insurance company will turn it over to a collection agency, and it will go against your credit. You are 19 years of age, and only working part time, earning an average of $450 per month. Why not take a look at joining the military; Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy or Coast Guard? You starting pay will be about $1200 per month. Then as you advance your pay will increase. You will get an automatic pay increase every year. There are lots of benefits. The Montgomery GI Bill will pay for your college education, so when you re-enter the work-force, you will have the opportunity to get a career instead of a part-time job. The military is paying bonuses to new recruits. Just give it a shot, and speak with a recruiter, and see for yourself what is available. I joined when I was 17, and I'm so glad I did. I am now retired from the Army and drawing a nice retirement, with FREE healthcare. (It's not really free. I paid for it with a lot of sacrifice.)
2016-04-02 01:03:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you do not pay the other drivers insurance company there are several things they can do.
1. have your drivers licenses suspended
2. sue you
3. turn you over to a collections agency
Ignoring them will not make them go away.
However, you can call them and set up a payment plan - interest free. They probable will not take less than 50 per month. As long as you make your payments on time they will not take your license or pursue legal action against you. If you miss a payment they will take action.
Moral of the story - don't let your insurance lapse.
In the event that your insurance does lapse - do not drive the car - this is what happens.
You chose to operate your motor vehicle without insurance - you caused an accident and now you have to be an adult and pay for the damage you caused.
2007-11-02 14:19:04 · answer #3 · answered by Boots 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The bill for 5 grand could indeed be accurate - Nissan SUV - check out their parts prices - always a killer, especially headlights. Did your insurance company send you a renewal notice? Or did they decline to cover you for your next insurable period? Either way - they must comply with the insurance contracts act 1984 (in Australia, anyway). Check with your insurance ombudsman or insurance enquiries and complaints tribunal - you may still have a leg to stand on - IF YOU'RE LUCKY. Anyways...if that's not the case - most insurers are quite reasonable - make an offer to make REASONABLE payments/instalments, outline your income, and your expenses, and what you can afford to pay either each month, fortnight or week, and they may accept your offer. Alternatively, if you have the cash - make an offer of 80% of the total figure and they might accept this. They may also reject your offer. Either way - contact the insurer of the other party and discuss what's been said in this answer. Hope this helps. Good luck, sunshine. Oh, and one more thing - in Australia - we have a BON Agreement (Barometer of Negligence) - because we drive on the left hand side of the road - the fundamental driving rule is to always give way to your right. So, if I have run a red light at a + intersection, for example, and I collide with someone on MY LEFT - they have failed to give way to their THEIR RIGHT, which means that, to a degree (10%, in fact), they have failed right of way, even though they had a green light, and must accept 10% of the repair bill for their car...ask the insurer of the other party if they have some form of barometer of negligence, and if it applies to your specific incident. Cripes...this is the longest answer I've given. I'll shut up now.
2007-11-02 13:09:35 · answer #4 · answered by thequeenofthesilverdollar 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't pay, they are going to take you to collections and sue you for it. And for $5000 if you don't go to court and work it out you could possibly go to jail. At the very least your credit will be messed up for a good long time and you will not be able to finance anything at all. Yes you have to pay the insurance company the $5000, if you don't like it then you should not drive around without at least liability insurance.
I don't know about your state, but in Tennessee you can lose your license for not making restitution if the accident is your fault.
2007-11-02 09:25:32 · answer #5 · answered by jimapalooza 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you do not pay they will send you to collections. This will affect your credit. They may also file a lawsuit and a judgement would be placed against you.
Call the insurance company, they can work with you for paying them back, even if its as little as $50/month.
2007-11-02 09:20:06 · answer #6 · answered by ♥ Uwish ♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will have to file suit to try to recover money from you. But they could also make trouble for you with the state authorities, if your state requires drivers to carry insurance. Sorry; I guess there was more damage than just damaged headlight. It WAS your fault, you know.
2007-11-02 09:20:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're lucky it wasn't in Texas. Being involced in an accident and not having insurance will land you one BIG ticket, possible revocation of your license, etc. besides what the costs of repairing the cars is.
2007-11-02 09:30:07 · answer #8 · answered by mustanger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep you insurance up to date and you won't have to worry. Also try following the rules of the road.
2007-11-02 09:21:29 · answer #9 · answered by ziggy_brat 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They'll attach your wages, eventually. And it will go on your credit record.
They WILL try to collect, you WILL end up paying.
2007-11-02 13:52:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋