Single Mother Struggling After Drunk Driver Wrecked Vehicle

Hi everyone,

My name is Carissa (Cat), and I’m new to this community. I recently moved here from out of state with my daughter in hopes of building a better life for our little family. As a single mom, it was a big leap of faith — but we found a beautiful rental, I landed a good job, and I even managed to trade in my old car and take out a loan for a more affordable one so we could better manage groceries and other essentials.

Unfortunately, our fresh start was abruptly shaken. On Saturday, April 19th a drunk driver sped through our quiet school street, crashed into my housemate’s car, which smashed into my car and then sideswiped my vehicle before finally coming to a stop — facing the wrong way in the middle of the road. My vehicle sustained severe damage. I’m currently working with my insurance company, and they’ve told me that, based on the photos, the car will likely be declared a total loss.

To make things worse, the driver was uninsured and had a suspended license — and despite everything, the police let him walk away.

I’ve always been fiercely independent and have tried to handle things on my own, but this situation has left me emotionally and financially drained. It’s affected not just me, but my daughter and our housemates as well as their car was completely demolished. We’ve been forced into a stressful and uncertain situation because of one person’s reckless decision.

I hate asking for help — but I’m at a breaking point. If you’re able to donate anything, I would be deeply grateful. The loan for my now most likely totaled car was $17,000, and I’ve already had to spend extra funds on transportation to get to work — including $256 today alone for a rental. I still have to make payments on a car I can no longer drive. I’m just trying to keep everything afloat.

Thank you so much for reading this and for any support you can offer — even sharing this or offering kind words means the world to me.

With gratitude,

Carissa (Cat)