Hit by uninsured driver
Hope this is the right place to post this, if not - sorry!
I was hit by a car a couple of weeks back on my commute home - broad daylight, riding along and a car taking a left turn ran right into me, sending me over the bonnet and into a heap on the ground. Lots of witnesses, one or more of whom called the emergency services and I was dealt with by an ambulance crew and taken to the ER. No serious injury and, thankfully, no loss of consciousness. Helmet did it's job (including breaking the windshield of the offending car!).
Police came to visit me while I was still in the ER awaiting a CT scan and told me that the driver was uninsured and undocumented, "so bad luck".
I've not yet got a copy of the full police report (it is apparently in the mail), so I don't know what they are planning to do with the driver.
What should I do next? The repairs are going to be at least 6 or 7 hundred bucks that I can't afford and I need to get the bike back on the road or replace it - I'm currently getting a ride with a co-worker, but her patience will probably expire before too long!
I'm guessing I could call in an ambulance-chasing attorney, or go for a private prosecution, if the guy hasn't been deported. Or should I try to get my own car/household insurance company to cover it? I really don't have a clue what the best way forward might be! Any ideas out there?