First accident in 10 years — didn't call police, now the other driver has no insurance. What now??

Oh man, I went through almost the exact same thing two years ago. Different situation but the "no need for police" line is such a red flag in hindsight, right? The good news is no police report doesn't automatically tank your claim. I didn't have one either and my insurer still processed everything. It just means there's no neutral third-party account of what happened, so documenting everything YOU have becomes really important — photos, texts, any witnesses.

Do NOT send that guy any repair estimate. Don't respond to him at all right now. The moment you start negotiating with him directly, you're muddying the waters for your own claim. He's probably hoping you'll take a lowball cash offer and go away quietly. Let your insurer handle communication with him, or better yet talk to an attorney before you say anything to anyone.

So here's the thing about expired policies — this is actually more common than you'd think, and your insurer has seen it before. If you have uninsured motorist coverage (UM coverage) on your own policy, that's specifically designed for situations like this. Pull up your declarations page and look for "UM" or "uninsured/underinsured motorist." If it's there, that's your lifeline. The deductible on UM coverage is often lower than your collision deductible too, though it varies by state and policy.

Please don't put off that MRI. Shoulder injuries from side-impact collisions can involve the labrum or rotator cuff and those things don't always hurt at their worst until day 3 or 4 when swelling peaks. I've seen people feel "okay enough" and then wake up a week later barely able to lift their arm. Get the imaging done and get it documented through your doctor, not just urgent care.

A few practical things that can substitute for a police report: any photos you took at the scene, the texts between you and this guy (save all of them — screenshot and email them to yourself), any witnesses who saw the crash, and your own written statement drafted as soon as possible while your memory is fresh. Date it, be specific about what you saw and felt. If there's a traffic camera or business camera near where it happened, note that too — those can sometimes be subpoenaed later. None of this is legal advice, just stuff I've seen matter in claims.

Not legal advice, but I'll say this: the combination of an uninsured at-fault driver, documented injuries, and lost wages is exactly the kind of situation where a free consultation with a PI attorney is worth your time. Many work on contingency so there's no upfront cost. An attorney can also send a preservation letter for any surveillance footage near the scene before it gets overwritten. Worth a call before you do anything else.

Stop spiraling, start documenting. Right now. Screenshot every single text from this guy. Write down everything you remember about the accident — time, direction you were traveling, what the intersection looked like, what he said at the scene. Send yourself an email with all of it so it's timestamped. Then call your insurance back and specifically ask whether you have UM coverage and how to file under it. One thing at a time.

This sounds absolutely awful and I'm so sorry you're dealing with it on top of being in pain. Please make sure someone is going with you to your medical appointments — not just for support but because you shouldn't be driving if your shoulder is that bad. And please eat something and sleep if you can. The stress of this stuff makes injuries heal slower, I swear.

Quick question — when you say the policy was "expired," did your adjuster confirm that directly with the other driver's insurance company, or are they just saying the policy number doesn't pull up active coverage? Asking because sometimes people give the wrong policy number by mistake (not saying that's the case here, just worth clarifying). Also do you have any idea if the car he was driving was even registered to him?