Insurance Subrogation and Car Accident Responsibility
Whether or not you are going to have to pay the damages for the car you hit is going to depend heavily on: 1) the laws in your state, 2) the extent of the damages and injuries you caused, and 3) which party was ultimately responsible.
The first major issue is going to be whether you live in a "fault" state or a "no fault" state. If you live in a fault state, there is a greater chance that you'll be responsible for paying the damages. No fault states generally require parties to make most claims with their own insurers, unless the accident resulted in very serious injuries. Living in fault states carries a greater risk of receiving an insurance subrogation.
The second major issue is whether you were partially or totally at fault. In certain jurisdictions, you can be responsible for paying your portion of the damages if you were in any way responsible for the accident: in other words, if you were 1 percent at fault, you can be responsible for 1 percent of the damages. In other states, unless you were more than 50 percent at fault, the other party cannot collect from you.
Getting Legal Help for An Insurance Subrogation
If you have been issued an insurance subrogation by the insurance company of a driver you hit, that means the insurance company is trying to collect from you money that it paid out to its insured. The only way that it can do this is if your state laws allow it, and if you were at fault (either partially or total) for the accident. In order to determine if you really are going to have to pay these bills, the very first thing you should do is to call a lawyer, explain the situation, show them the notice of subrogation and find out what laws apply to you.
A lawyer can help you to determine exactly what your responsibilities are based on these issues and any other relevant factors, and whether you'll have to pay the damages to the insurer through subrogation.