Urgent Car Replacement Needed for Emergency Surgeries

Hello! I am so sorry to have to ask for help, but I have nowhere else to turn to. I am severely disabled and on low income, and I only make 950$ a month. I cannot afford the emergency that has happened, and I desperately need a new car in order to have a life-saving surgery scheduled on November 3rd.

On the morning of October 2nd, at 10:56 AM, my neighbor crashed into our parked car with their 1999 SUV. The chrome grille on their car totaled our 2014 Ford Focus. The neighbor offered only 20$ - 30$ to fix the tail light, but did not want to get police involved. They claimed their breaks went out, but video proof shows clear speeding in the parking-lot.

They denied having any accountability when our car's wheels drove weird following the crash (while we tried to repark our car) and started arguing with me when trying to tell them of the potential damages.

Due to this, I called police anyways, and got a police report. I have the crash recorded on video from a kind neighbor who caught the whole accident, but due to legality issues I don't feel comfortable sharing it at this time while the insurances are fighting.

I contacted the Ford Collision Center and a digital claims adjuster, and both have labeled the car as totaled just from photos alone.

The damages are as follows:

Potentially unseen damages: Frame and potentially bent chassis

The damages confirmed in bullet-points are enough to total the car, even just physical body damage and airbag wise. This is why we don't want to risk driving it. The damages we can't see aren't worth risking our lives.

However, due to calling the police and involving insurances following the crash, our neighbors have been AWOL and quiet.

The neighbors involved both have a history of avoiding police, and are both previous felons. I hold nothing against them for their past, but it does explain their current: They know how to dodge the system, they have avoided police attempting to contact them for months now, and I cannot get a hold of the neighbor's insurance until Monday at the earliest.

Even when I do get ahold of them, they will try to undervalue the car's market value to around 5,000$ (if we're even lucky enough to get that amount, as our car has a low market value) according to my claims adjuster. Thus, I have to go through my insurance, but that's gonna take time that I don't have.

The car is in my roommates's name, as I cannot drive and I'm on social security disability. I cannot have assets in my name legally. This car is under my roommates's ex husbands insurance, and he is the policy owner and a partial owner of the car itself, so we need time to reach out to him and file a report or get us the policy information. He's currently OUTSIDE of the United States and hard to contact (due to him dodging his own legal issues).

My roommate and I have both have agreed that we have an equal ownership and attachment to this car. We both DEPEND on this car. I cannot drive, and my doctors and specialists are located 45 minutes away. I am battling with a triple dental infection and a potentially cancerous oral tumor that needs an immediate removal and biopsy. My earliest appointment is November 3rd, but I'm on a waitlist for the SOONEST next appointment.

I am also scheduled for an emergency mammogram pending a doctor finding extra tissue in one of my breasts, and they're concerned that it could potentially be inflammatory breast cancer. Our car being totaled means I cannot make my life-saving appointments, cancer screening and prevention / treatment, nor can I buy groceries or pick up my medicines.

The total amount shown (16,750$) would be the cost of buying a used 2018 Ford Focus (so the same car, just a 4-year upgrade to avoid the known recall issues of the previous models) and having it delivered to us via Carvana. The car's mileage is low, around 31,000 miles, which is important for us so we can keep this car for its foreseeable future.

The price breakdown is as such:

15,990$ - upfront price of the car

690$ - delivery fee via Carvana

At the 8,800$ goal, we can start a payment plan and have it delivered. The breakdown is: 8,000 upfront, 690$ delivery fee, and remainder for taxes or hidden fees.

This is the MINIMUM price to make sure we hit our goal, so that I can afford the monthly car payments thereafter (275$/mo) until it is paid off. This is NOT including insurance, just the car's cost per month, but we will figure it out. This may have been a blessing in disguise so we could get another car in both of our names (I am allowed to be a co-signer) and an insurance policy we can control.. but we just CAN'T afford that right now.

Anything extra will go towards getting our "new" car's affairs in order (new tags, inspection, plates, etc) and anything else ADDITIONAL will be to help us move out when our lease ends in June, 2026. We've had several problems with this neighbor and this same neighbor has gotten physically violent in the past towards other neighbors, so I may make a separate gofundme for moving as QUICKLY as possible to avoid future danger if they get belligerent;

If insurances settle the claim and pays us upfront for the costs, we will use the remainder they pay us back for moving out of here.

Any donations appreciated, and I wish I could do more to pay back your kindness. Please know that any donations you make to us right now will never be forgotten, and I will remember your name and try to pay it back tenfold karmically. I wish all of you success, luck, growth, and love in your futures.

Thank you so much!