The reason "someone" had to have a co-signer was that the lender considered his/her chances of paying them back too risky. They accepted the transaction based on your credit, not "someone's."
The way to "get out" of such collection problems is to never co-sign for anybody unless you are willing to pay the debt as if it was your own.
At this point, I would speak to "someone" and try to get as much participation as you can in paying off your account.