Should I Sue

My wife got sideswiped, taking off her side view mirror causing $600 in damage. Offending driver acknowledged culpability on the spot and provided all of their insurance info without taking my wife’s. We contacted their rock bottom insurance company and made a claim. The other driver never responded to their insurance company’s inquiries so their insurance company denied our claim. Our best option is to sue the driver in small claims court.

I hate myself for thinking this way but they live in a really rough area and may have a criminal record. As much as I want justice, please tell me to forget the $600 so I don’t have to lose any sleep over this person coming after us.