Financial Channel

CA state.

After not being able to find a taxi driver, I asked my son's friend to drive with me to an airport and from there drive a car back to my garage.
On a way back he crached my car with over $20,000 in body damages. He called my son (student in Boston) and told him that he had an accident and policeman came, looked a car and said it was a manufacture defect.
When I came back from a vacation, he told me that he was driving about 70/mile and it was raining, and he felt like a tire blow off, and my 2000 Mercedes Benz S430 suddenly spinned around and crashed into a tall highway wall. He said he'd panicked, didn't wait for a police to come, drove my car to a nearest exit, parked it and called a tow co.
My insurance has high liability and other coverages, but I don't have collision.
I calle my insurance co. and they advised to contact driver's insurance. He wouldn't give me any info, said he had changed the companies and doesn't know which one was in place at the time of an accident. In a month and a half later he said he wasn't insured at that time. Simply, I can't trust him but am not able to find this information.
Driver states it was not his fault, but rather some "ghost" manufacture defect or my luck of maintenance (I had Major B service done on a car two month prior an accident and professionals, who checked a car, all saying that they can't see any defects, a car is still drivable except damages to a body from an impact/collision).
There are lots of other issues with a driver as he didn't file SR1 form in DMV and I had CHP officer to mail it to him.
Damages on a car are all low and there're lots of dirt like he went of the road, but he says it hit a tall wall.
I've contacted my attorney and she'll take my case, but I'd like to hear from you in hope to get some advices.
Thank you!

Did you check the mileage? Given the extent of the kid's lies, I wouldn't be surprisd if he didn't take your car back to your garage, but instead kept it and drove it until he finally crashed it. He may have gone off the road, perhaps while drunk, or may have just thought it would be fun to do some off-road drag racing in somebody else's vehicle.

Thank you for prompt respond!
Yes, I've checked with a towing co. and they picked my car at the same day in about 3 hours since he left me in an airport.
I have records that my Mercedes was serviced 2 months before this accident ( B major service) with 700 mileage driven since it was done and before my car was crashed.
Do I need more proof that a car was in perfect serviced condition prior to collision? As a driver wrote to me "As far as I'm concerned when the charges come back on your vehicle once it has completed repairs, the liabillity will fall on you due to your lack of maintenance and failure to have proper insurance coverage. I concider your negligence your financial responsibility".
Ironically,He sends me this letter after telling me that he was not covered at the time of an accident, while I have 100/300 coverage on my vehicle all the time.
As well, he didn't send SR1 form to DMV, I was told by CHP officer that I can press criminal charges against him as in a "hit and run" accident.
What would be your advice/actions taken in this case?
Thank you again.

I would sue him for the damage he caused, recognizing that he's probably a deadbeat and that it is possible that I will never get a cent back.

When you elected to not purchase insurance, you accepted the risk.

Unless you can replace your vehicle out of pocket you should always carry collision coverage. You could have easily got in an accident yourself w/an uninsured or underinsured motorist and be in the same situation. Californians who carry liability are only required to carry up to $5,000 in property damage and you are driving a car worth far more than that.

Live and learn, and good luck.

The $5000 property damage is intended to pay towards the car (or building) you smash into...not the one you're driving!