Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Washington

Re: no insurance

Your situation is one many people face. If you do not have insurance, I would guess that you do not own a home, or have lots of cash in the bank, or a big stock portfolio, and if we sold your every last possession, we would hardly have enough left over to fix the other guy's car, right?

I am exaggerating, but basically, if you are poor, the odds are that you are what many attorneys call "judgment proof." In other words, if this guy sues you for the damage, and he gets a judgment against you, what would he ever collect?

Unless he pays his lawyer by the hour, no lawyer would take that case on contingency, since 33% of $0 is $0.

On the other hand, if you are poor but with good credit, which is very possible, then I suggest that you try to amicably work something out with this guy. Explain your economics to him, (don't tell him that you have good credit and are trying to protect that rating since he'll use it against you) and say that you'll do what you can, such as maybe make payments.

If you can't work it out with him, then there is nothing that you can do, so just sit back and see what he does. He may just go away. If he does not, then think of this as a good reminder of why you really can't afford to drive a car if you can't afford the insurance that goes with it. (Sorry, that may seem harsh, but I promise you, that is a much nicer way to put it than others might put it to you.)