Caused an accident with no insurance — how bad is this actually going to get?
I'm going to be honest because I need real answers and I'm kind of spiraling right now.
I was in a gap between jobs earlier this year and my auto policy lapsed — not intentional, just genuinely fell through the cracks while I was dealing with a lot at once. During that window, I rear-ended someone at a stoplight. My fault, no question about it.
The other driver seemed okay at the scene but called me a few days later saying she'd been to urgent care for neck and shoulder pain. I was upfront with her that I didn't have active coverage at the time. She was understandably upset and said she'd be contacting a lawyer.
Fast forward a few weeks — I've now been served. The complaint just says she's seeking damages in excess of a certain threshold (doesn't name a final number). What I do know is her car is a total loss, she's had multiple medical appointments, and she missed at least a week of work.
A buddy of mine who went through something vaguely similar says once you factor in pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical bills, these things can balloon way beyond what you'd expect. He threw out a number that genuinely made me feel sick.
I have some savings but I'm not wealthy. I own my car outright and rent my apartment. I don't own property.
Is my friend's estimate of how high this could go realistic? And what happens if a judgment comes down that I genuinely cannot pay? Do they garnish wages? Is there any path through this that doesn't destroy me financially for the next decade?
I feel terrible about what happened to her. I'm not trying to dodge responsibility — I just need to understand what I'm actually facing.