Hit a utility box during my accident — now getting billed directly by the city??

Do NOT pay that bill out of pocket before you talk to your old insurer. Seriously. If you just pay it, you might accidentally be signaling that you accept full liability without any negotiation or review. These third-party bills sometimes get inflated — who's verifying that the city's repair costs are actually accurate? Your liability coverage from when the accident happened should be what covers third-party property damage like this. The cancellation of the policy afterward doesn't erase what you were covered for on that date.

Three things: 1) Don't pay it. 2) Call your old insurance today — not tomorrow, today. 3) Send the letter via certified mail or at least take a photo of it right now. You need that documentation. The 45-day window sounds scary but you have time if you act quickly. Your old coverage is almost certainly what handles this.

Just to add some process clarity — what you're describing sounds like a third-party property damage claim, which falls under the liability portion of your auto policy (not the collision portion that covered your car). Those are handled separately. The fact that your policy was cancelled after the fact doesn't typically void coverage for an incident that occurred while active. I'd recommend digging up any paperwork from your original claim, finding the claim number, and reaching out to your old carrier directly. They should have a liability claims department distinct from whoever handled your vehicle payout.

Oh man, this happened to me a few years ago — not a city thing but I clipped a fence on private property and got a bill months later out of nowhere. My insurer at the time actually still handled it even though the policy had lapsed by then, because the accident itself happened while I was covered. The key thing my agent told me was that what matters is the DATE OF THE INCIDENT, not whether you're still a customer now. I'd call your old insurance company ASAP and just report it to them.

Not legal advice, but generally speaking — liability coverage follows the policy period, meaning if you were insured at the time of the accident, that coverage doesn't just disappear because the policy was later cancelled. Municipalities and utilities routinely pursue individuals directly for infrastructure damage costs, and they're not always forthcoming about how the insurance process works. I'd strongly suggest looping your old insurer in before responding to the city at all. If there's any dispute about the amount being claimed, that's also worth flagging.