Feeling hopeless

[u/CorrectSugar3005]

I’m 22 and honestly feel completely overwhelmed after a car accident situation that keeps getting worse financially and legally, and I’m looking for advice from anyone who’s been through something similar.

In 2024, I got into a bad accident on my way to school. My car hydroplaned on the highway during bad weather and I was hit by two other vehicles, which sent me across the highway. My car was totaled.

The police report said I was “driving too fast for conditions,” and from what I understand, hydroplaning accidents are usually automatically considered your fault even if it wasn’t intentional.

A couple months later, my insurance dropped me because I had briefly done Uber, which apparently violated my policy. I only did it for about a week and I was NOT driving for Uber during the accident, but they still used it against me.
While I was away at school, the other insurance company continued handling everything. I eventually found out my license had been suspended ,but I didn’t even know until almost a year later.

I already paid the reinstatement fee, but now I have to file an SR-22/SR-11 and somehow pay back around $10,000 to the other insurance company.I’m still in school, currently not working, and I don’t have family financial support. I start student teaching in the fall, so I NEED transportation eventually, but right now everything feels impossible.

I keep wondering:

Am I gonna be stuck in debt for life?

Is it even possible to recover from this?

Will I even realistically be able to afford insurance again?

Can I actually get my license fully back?

Should I wait for court or collections?

Is it smarter to immediately try setting up a payment plan?

Has anyone recovered financially from something like this in their early 20s?

What hurts the most is that it feels like I’m being treated like I was reckless or irresponsible when the accident genuinely was not intentional. My car was destroyed too, and now I feel buried in debt over one terrible moment. I just feel so stuck and depressed. This feels like a major setback back and each time I try to get myself together it’s something layered . I know people have bigger problems, but right now I honestly feel stuck and scared for my future. Any advice would really help

[u/Joker_Bra030]

How did your insurance find out that you were doing uber?
Did you tell the cops you were speeding?
Why your driver license was suspended? And why you owe 10k to the insurance?

[u/BmoreGrateful21229 → u/Joker_Bra030]

OP claims that they voluntarily informed their insurance that they have used their own vehicle for RideShare in the past, unrelated to the multi-vehicle accident. I don't understand why people do that.