Driver with no insurance hit both our parked cars — now we're stuck with deductibles and no rides
Still kind of in shock writing this out but I need some perspective from people who've been through something similar.
About three weeks ago, someone ran a red light early in the morning and plowed into our driveway, hitting both my car and my girlfriend's car while they were just sitting there. We weren't even in them. The driver — turns out he was borrowing his uncle's car — had the absolute bare minimum liability coverage allowed by our state. We're talking basically nothing when you split it between two damaged vehicles.
Here's where it gets messy:
- Her car is totaled. Gone. We found that out pretty fast.
- My car is still being looked at. Nobody's given me a straight answer on whether it's repairable or also a write-off.
- The at-fault driver's policy limit is so low it's almost insulting. The adjuster told us we'd basically have to go through our own policies — which means two separate deductibles we weren't expecting to pay.
- We've been sharing one borrowed car between two people with completely different work schedules. It's a nightmare.
We've been paying out of pocket for rideshares, delivery fees, and gas for the borrowed car. These costs add up fast and I don't think people realize how much losing two vehicles at once disrupts literally everything about your week.
The uncle of the driver reached out and said he wants to make things right. We had a conversation and he seems genuinely remorseful — but I don't know if I should be handling this directly with him, what I should be asking for, or whether getting anything in writing from him would even be enforceable.
Has anyone navigated something like this? What did you do about the out-of-pocket costs and the deductibles when the other driver barely had coverage?