A Texas Rancher Who Has ’14 Cents in My Account’ Is Being Sued by State Farm, and the Company’s Reason for Targeting Him Makes No Sense

A Texas rancher is dealing with a lawsuit from State Farm over a car crash he says he had nothing to do with. Brian Firebaugh posted a video about his problem that has been watched more than 810,000 times. In it, he says he never owned the car that was in the accident and was not even in the same city when it happened.

According to Bro Bible, Firebaugh says the crash took place last year in San Antonio, Texas. A man named Sanchez was driving a 2002 Ford F-150 when he hit a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Reyes. Because Sanchez did not have insurance, the Reyes used their own State Farm policy to cover the damage, which cost thousands of dollars.

State Farm then looked up the truck’s VIN number to find out who owned it, and somehow Firebaugh’s name showed up in their records. Now the company is trying to get him to pay back the money.

This sounds like a massive mix-up

The timing could not be worse for Firebaugh, who is going through major money problems. He had to sell all his cattle and farm equipment just to get by. “I have 14 cents in my account. And I’m being sued,” he says in the video.

When he called State Farm to ask why they were going after him, he says they did not have a real answer. “They’re like, ‘Beats us. Your name just popped up in our system, so now we’re suing you,'” he explains.

When someone without insurance causes a crash, the other person’s insurance company will usually pay for the damage first. Then they go after the driver who caused the accident to get their money back. But mistakes can happen when insurance companies try to figure out who is responsible.

VIN database errors happen more often than people think, according to Detailed Vehicle History. Simple typing mistakes when entering information can lead to wrong matches between cars and their owners.

Capital One’s Auto Navigator says these errors often start at car dealerships. If someone at a dealership types in the wrong VIN on the paperwork when a car is first sold, it can cause all kinds of problems down the line. The wrong person can end up linked to a car they never bought or drove.

Firebaugh says he refused to give State Farm his own insurance information and now has to pay a lawyer to help him fight the case. He set up a GoFundMe page to ask for help with his money troubles. People who saw his viral video left comments with advice.

One person said he should counter sue for defamation and emotional distress. Another viewer told him, “Man your insurance will handle off of this. It’s not a ‘claim’. They will fight Snake Farm for you. Likely get it dropped quickly.” Other people said they were unhappy with how State Farm handled things, with one saying they planned to switch to a different insurance company.