OHIO — If you have a suspended driver's license, you could have an opportunity to legally drive again. 

A new court ruling will affect drivers who were uninsured and caused a wreck 15 or more years ago. The ruling states the BMV must lift their license suspension if an insurance company that won a financial claim in court hasn't attempted to collect. 

Attorney Evan Lewis helped argue the case alongside his colleagues at Jeffrey M. Lewis Co., LPA. He explained the limitations of a judgment. 

"In the State of Ohio, after five years, a judgment goes dormant and after ten more years, the judgment becomes non-collectable. It's basically like the statute of limitations has run on the judgment, so if a creditor does not try to collect it for fifteen years, they can never try to collect it again," he said. Until now, even when the 15-year time limit expired, the BMV has been able to keep that previously uninsured driver's license suspended. In many cases, Lewis said the driver simply doesn't have the money to pay, so companies won't even attempt to collect. 

It's estimated as many as one million Ohioans have a suspended driver's license, according to 2022 data from The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Many of those are from OVI-related offenses or accruing 12 or more points in a two-year period. However, Lewis believes it's reasonable to expect the ruling will affect several thousand Ohioans. 

"It's your ability to make a living, your ability to bring your kids places, go to medical appointments... The problem is a lot of people who are in that situation do end up still having to drive and they get picked up in a cycle of criminal offenses, whether you're talking about driving under suspensions and all those sorts of things," he said. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the BMV for a comment and to find out if they plan to appeal. They said they don't comment on pending litigation.