Delivery driver hit my retaining wall, admitted fault over text, now ghosting me on the repair bill

I went through something almost identical with a contractor's helper who sideswiped my fence and then went quiet. The license plate was actually the key — in my state I was able to submit a request through the DMV (there's a form specifically for legal/civil purposes) to get the registered owner's address. It's not guaranteed but it worked for me and that address is what you need to serve small claims paperwork. Definitely look into that first.

Yes, you can absolutely pursue small claims without already having an address — you just need to obtain one before you file, because the court requires a valid service address for the defendant. The DMV route the other commenter mentioned is real; most states allow a formal records request for an address when there's a legitimate civil claim, and a plate number plus a police report or even just a written statement of your claim is usually enough to qualify. Once you have that address, filing is pretty straightforward. Keep every single text screenshot and that camera footage backed up in at least two places.

Before you go the small claims route, I'd push harder on the delivery company angle. Those gig platforms love to say their drivers are 'independent contractors' so they're not liable, but a lot of them actually carry contingent liability coverage that can apply when a driver causes property damage during an active delivery. The catch is they will absolutely not volunteer that information. You may need to formally submit a claim in writing and explicitly ask whether any commercial policy applies to the incident. Paper trail everything.

Worked claims for years. Here's the honest inside view: if this driver was on an active delivery when the damage happened, the platform's insurance might have a property damage component, but it's usually pretty limited and they'll argue hard that backing into a retaining wall at the wrong address is outside the scope of covered activity. Still worth submitting a formal written claim to the platform — worst they can say is no, and sometimes just the act of filing gets someone's attention internally.

Also, if the driver gave you a false story about mailing a money order, document that specifically. Courts and adjusters both take a dim view of documented deception — it helps establish that the delay isn't just a misunderstanding.

Not legal advice, but the fact pattern you're describing — admission of liability in writing, documented damage, a specific agreed-upon amount, and now evasion — is about as clean as a small claims case gets. The main practical hurdle is service of process, which the DMV records route can solve. If the amount is within your state's small claims limit, I'd move on this sooner rather than later while his contact info and plate registration are still current. Waiting gives people time to move or change vehicles.

Quick question — when the delivery app's support gave you his name and contact info, did they do that officially, like through a formal claim submission? Or was it more informal? I ask because that might actually matter for whether the platform has any skin in the game here. If they handed over driver info in response to a property damage report, that's kind of an acknowledgment that something happened.