Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Wisconsin

Hello, I am here asking for legal advice because I have received a letter from some sort of firm who is claiming that I am personally responsible for reimbursing $1727.15 to a driver whom I had a car accident with about 5 months ago, and in this letter it states that if I don't dispute the case within 30 days the information they currently have will be considered valid. In this incident I was making a right turn when I hit a patch of ice and slid counter-clock ways but i was able to regain control of my vehicle in time to avoid colliding with anyone or anything. The driver behind me though was following me too closely and and as a result she was unable to break in time to avoid crashing into my vehicle after i regained control. When the officer arrived he just gave both of us warnings. The other driver got a warning for following too closely and I got one for driving too fast for conditions. No one was put at fault of the incident and no report was given to me, just the warning and a ticket for not having proof of insurance which I paid immediately afterwards. Also I have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist with panic disorder with agoraphobia(I was not being prescribed any medication at the time) so my statement given to the officer may not have been completely valid due to my mental condition.I went to the police department and received a case report which does not indicate anyone being responsible for the incident. Now I am asking you what course of action should I take, because I am currently a college student and also suffering from a bad economic condition so this is a dept that I cannot afford. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would greatly appreciate any advice.


Asked on 7/22/13, 11:39 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
JAY Nixon nixon law offices

Hiring a collector to pursue a claim against you does not automatically make if a valid claim. However, the opposite is true if you fail to fight an invalid claim, since your inaction can easily turn it into a valid one and waive any right you might have fight it simply by inaction. You should therefore immediately fight this matter, preferable through legal counsel (or through your insurance company if there was auto insurance on this vehicle--at minimum you should always notify your insurer of such a claim). The bottom line is that if you do not stand up for your own rights and protect yourself, nobody else will do it either, and you will lose the case, resulting in a possible judgment against you which can then lead to wage garnishments, asset seizures and negative impacts against your credit. If you had no insurance and cannot afford to hire an attorney, you would be better off simply fighting it yourself than defaulting. Please do not assume that I am your attorney because of my response here. Call my office in Racine (262-633-3090 or email [email protected]) for clarifications, but short of such additional arrangements, I will not be taking any action on your case. See me on the web at www.jayknixonlaw.com. View over fifteen years of my past answers at http://www.lawguru.com/answers/search/attorney/jknixon. Answers may contain attorney advertising materials.

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Answered on 7/22/13, 12:22 pm


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