Debt collector threatening to sue me over an accident where fault was never actually proven — what do I do?

That 'limited time offer' pressure tactic is straight out of the debt collector playbook. The deadline is almost always artificial. They went silent for a whole year after your counteroffer — that tells you they're not in as strong a position as they're pretending. Don't let urgency make you agree to something you can't sustain.

Few things I'd want to know more about: Did you ever get anything in writing from the officer about the tickets being dropped? And when you countered their settlement offer in writing, did you explicitly say you were disputing liability or just that you couldn't afford the amount? Because those are very different things. If you only disputed the dollar amount and not the underlying fault, that could be read as an implicit admission. Not trying to pile on, just want to make sure you're thinking through the details.

Not legal advice, but honestly — the intersection camera footage angle is still relevant. If you ever do end up in litigation, your attorney could subpoena it. The fact that the officer seemed skeptical of your fault admission is actually meaningful context. A lot of people don't realize that admitting fault to a police officer doesn't automatically create legal liability; it can be challenged. Talk to a PI attorney even just for a consultation — many do free ones. They may see angles here you haven't considered.

A couple things worth knowing: first, there are statutes of limitations on civil claims that vary by state — the gap in communication from them doesn't necessarily reset any clock, but it's worth confirming where things stand in your state. Second, a 'we'll sue you' letter from a collections agency is not the same as actually being served with a lawsuit. Many of these threats never materialize. That said, ignoring it entirely is risky. At minimum, I'd send a written response asking them to validate the debt and basis for the claim amount. Document everything.

I can hear how stressed you are and honestly that's so understandable. Two years of this hanging over you sounds exhausting. Please don't try to navigate this alone anymore — even just talking to someone who knows this stuff for 30 minutes could take so much weight off. You deserve to know what you're actually dealing with, not just what they want you to think you're dealing with.

Here's the blunt version: don't pay anything and don't agree to anything until you know whether they can actually prove fault. Your panic-admission at the scene is a complication but it's not a slam dunk for them. Get a free consult, find out what the statute of limitations looks like in your state, and stop engaging with the collections agency directly without knowing your rights.