Auto Insurance Claims: auto accident, liability decision

Question
hi i was in an accident 2 months ago.i turned left and a car in the outside lane appeared suddenly,swerved and clipped my rear bumper.he lost his right front fender.2 witnesses support him but i think he was going to fast.no cops were called.i was driving someone elses car.i have no insurance.his insurance company wants me to pay,what happens next and how do i defend myself from a somewhat ambiguous situation.thanks matt from washington state

Answer
Matt, I thought I answered this already, but it is showing back up, so I'll answer it again just in case something happened.

Okay, so you likely will not like my answer.

1.  It seems you are at fault.
2.  You probably need to work out a payment plan with the guy's insurance company.



Now,the good news.  You could argue that he was speeding and potentially reduce your liability because of it, and if there is no police report, it is much harder for the insurance company to get the State of Washington to suspend your driver license for no insurance.

Further explanation. . . two witnesses are hard to overcome.  Also, you said the vehicle appeared suddenly which means you didn't see it until the last second.  If you can't describe exactly how the accident occurred and what caused it, then you were not paying enough attention to what was going on.  Was it dark?  Were his lights on?  Is your vision obscured by a tree, sign, house, etc?

You can always argue liability and refuse to pay and see if they sue you.  Suing you would be the only way they could really put some pressure on your driver license, not to mention messing up your credit if you are worried about that type of thing.  Also, you can always call us directly to discuss the matter if you want to speak with a live person.  Search for Petty Details on the net and you'll find my direct number!

JP