Does the person I hit still have the right to make a claim against me a month after?
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Does the person I hit still have the right to make a claim against me a month after?
I hit a car a month ago. The only damage I caused was a small hole in the bumper of the person’s vehicle and my car got all destroyed in the front. We agreed to not call the insurance since it was a minor thing. I allowed the person to take a picture of my license and I said I was gonna pay for a new bumper. A month after he sent me a text message saying that there was more damage and the exhaust pipe was also broken and that was going to be around 250 plus around $400 for a bumper. I said to him I can only pay up to $350 or max $400 for the entire repair since I’m a student and I had to put a lot of money into getting a new car because mine was already old
and the fix wasn’t worth the money. He asked me for my insurance information
and I gave it to him PIP/Liability. How much can he actually get from my insurance if a month has passed. Also, I said over text message that I was gonna pay for the repair never thinking a bumper will end up being like $700. If so, could he use text messages screenshot and take me to court?
Asked on March 2, 2016 under Accident Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
Someone can definitely claim against you a month later--they could claim against you for automotive damage in your state up to four (4) years after the accident They can also use any texts, emails, or other written communications from you against you, such as if they admit or imply fault. If you were at fault, they can potentially recover their actual costs to repair--i.e. the provable amount to fix the damage.
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