For convenience, let's call him Kevin. He hit a parked car, which was not a luxury, just a regular Japanese sedan. There was paint damage on the front door and the panel right in front of the door. The length would be about 2 feet, I guess. The problem is: Kevin doesn't have car insurance. Yeah, Kevin is young and stupid. We all blame his parents for not checking any paperwork when he bought the car.
Anyway, the police was called. They came to the scene and took photos and everything. The other party's car insurance took over the negotiations. That was weeks ago.
Recently, they sent him a letter asking for 70 万. It says on the paper something like the car repair costs 37, and rental car costs 33. And it says if Kevin doesn't pay the amount until the specific date, the amount will go up.
His parents are now asking for my advice. What do I tell them? "Get a lawyer" is the first thing I wanted to say but they are like lower middle. Even 70 万 is too much for them already. Anybody has experience?
Edit: To those of you saying it's a good lesson for the kid. It's more like a good lesson for ME. I knew how the family is and I should've asked for the documents after I heard he bought a car. I only found out after the accident he didn't enter voluntary insurance. After that, I got him an insurance for a full year which painfully cost 40万 because he's under 20. I told him to just pay me 1.5万 each month but I don't think I'll ever get anything from him.
Now, I'm planning to just call the other party's insurance company and try to negotiate the amount and the payment plan. I don't wanna sound judgemental but lacking of a good role model is the cause of his reckless behaviour. I really hope he learns responsibility.
by Hefty-Estimate-7183