Crashed car - help

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
driving too fast for conditions is not a criminal offense. This is a civil fine. The charge makes sense. Quit being a dickscarf and take responsibility for your own actions.

Finally, someone with some sense in this thread. OP, you'll pay a few hundred bucks in fines, get a few points on your license, but you are not going to jail and not getting a misdemeanor conviction.

 

[Sea Moose]

count your blessings.

You are not hurt, thats the main thing.


I am glad your not hurt

 

[Robsasman]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
driving too fast for conditions is not a criminal offense. This is a civil fine. The charge makes sense. Quit being a dickscarf and take responsibility for your own actions.

ya I agree with this, it might be jail time if you flew across the highway into on coming traffic and hurt or killed someone.

 

[tboo]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
It means you were driving too fast for conditions.

This

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Dont plead guilty. If you plead not guilty the worst the judge can do is find you guilty, if he disagrees with the cop then you get off the ticket. Just tell the judge that you were traveling along at normal speeds. Also that you have driven the road many times while it was raining and had no issues. Lying about small details, such as you were speeding is fine, and you should do it. Wear nice clothes, a suit of you have it, if not dress clothes.

you really don't want to piss a judge off by pleading not guilty to something like this.

No Contest is going to be the best route

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Lying about small details, such as you were speeding is fine, and you should do it.

:thumbsdown:

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: allisolm

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Lying about small details, such as you were speeding is fine, and you should do it.

:thumbsdown:

x2.

OP, If you screwed up, just pay the ticket, ask for traffic school and remember this lesson. Also, make sure your tires are in good condition or get better tires. (my opinion).

 

[zebano]

WTH are points on a license?

 

[amdhunter]

I'd have this thread deleted. Insurance companies are VERY clever these days (they might find you in this thread) and can deny you a claim since you admitted that you were at fault.

Sounds stupid, but dealerships do it all the time.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: timosyy
No, there was a cop behind me, and he explained that I was going too fast for conditions and that was what the ticket meant. I was going over the speed limit.

My question is -- what is the process now. If there was a cop behind me I'm not going to argue it, and I have no problem being honest. So.. what. Do I just show up in court, plead guilty, and see what happens? Can I settle this outside of court? Plead no-contest, pay whatever fines?

Find out what the repercussions are to pleading guilty to that ticket. Can you take traffic school to keep the points off your license? It's probably not a big deal, the cop was perfectly justified in writing you that ticket.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: zebano
WTH are points on a license?

You can only have so many points on your license and the state will revoke it. Also, insurance companies look at this and adjust your rates accordingly. If you have too many points some insurance companies may even drop you.

 

[KK]

does your college offer any type of legal help for free? Also, how bald were your tires?

 

[Sea Moose]

Wow no one agrees that the best thing is, that OP walk away uninjured

 

[JulesMaximus]

What state is this in?

Why don't you give us some actual useful information instead of complete nonsense like what your gpa is?

 

[pravi333]

Here in New Jersey you dont go meet the judge and get his judgment right away. On the day of the court date you will meet someone ( i think its the public prosecutor but i am not sure), and that someone will tell you, here are your violations, we will reduce it to this, since you didn't hurt anyone, and then that he/she will ask you if you're ready to accept the lowered charges and go meet the judge. If you accept it, you will go to the courtroom and the judge will read your lowered offense and will ask you if you're accepting it. If you say yes then he will read his judgment.

If you want to contest it, then you tell that to the initial prosecutor person and ask for a later date. And then you can decide if you want a lawyer or not.

 

[slsmnaz]

I have never seen someone freak out this much over a ticket. You're not going to jail and you won't have a criminal record. Go to the judge, plead guilty, explain what happened and ask for traffic school if he doesn't dismiss it. Based on the clean driving record you say you have, you'll pay court costs and traffic school costs but no points. I did this recently for a speeding ticket and got the ticket dismissed with only court costs to pay.

And people did bring lawyers into court for minor tickets and they actually looked pretty stupid. Many still were found guilty but now they had legal fees to pay. Plus the judge looked pretty annoyed with them

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
I have never seen someone freak out this much over a ticket. You're not going to jail and you won't have a criminal record. Go to the judge, plead guilty, explain what happened and ask for traffic school if he doesn't dismiss it. Based on the clean driving record you say you have, you'll pay court costs and traffic school costs but no points. I did this recently for a speeding ticket and got the ticket dismissed with only court costs to pay.

And people did bring lawyers into court for minor tickets and they actually looked pretty stupid. Many still were found guilty but now they had legal fees to pay. Plus the judge looked pretty annoyed with them

shit if I send my lawyer, I am not going to be there too.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: timosyy
I have no idea what would make me sound like a douche, and the explanation is a simple one. I was speeding, it was raining, I hydroplaned/lost control and spun out, and crashed.

I don't have a problem taking responsibility, I just want to know the repercussions. What does probation entail? Can't drive car for x days?

leave out the "i was speeding" part. you can literally be ticketed for speeding even going slower than the limit if the conditions are bad enough. i had a cop ticket me for speeding too great for conditions, doing the posted speed limit thru an intersection where an accident had occurred. the cop thought i was going to run him down, lol. the judge saw the cop was a prick when the diagrams went up and he realized i was 2 lanes away from the cop when i went thru the intersection and dismissed the case. thats one im glad i fought.

and i thought the ticket you got was just a civil? should be just a fine (no idea how much) and a guaranteed report to insurance. my ex got the same ticket for turning left and getting broadsided by a lady running a red light while talking on her phone. apparently in phoenix turning left makes you at fault for any accident you are involved in. the ticket didnt cost her anything, but the insurance used it for fault. i had a 36 dollar penalty on our policy for 3 years due to that accident.

 

[marrr]

Plead not guilty.. I know some kid from work, who was driving on the highway when his tire blew out causing him to lose control of his car and crash into the guardrail. His car was totaled and he still ended up getting a ticket. Yea it really was his fault huh?

 

[timosyy]

It's VA, law section 46.2-853

I posted useless stuff like GPA to show that I'm not usually an idiot (last night being an exception apparently). Also sleep was good, some of my posts from last night make me laugh because I usually am a pretty calm guy/don't normally get hysterical.

 

[Throwmeabone]

The way it works in NY is when you go to traffic court, you go in front of the judge for about 10 seconds and plead guilty, not guilty, or ask to negotiate a plea. There is no dress code but it doesn't hurt to not look like a scumbag. Then you talk to the city attorney (I believe) who asks you if there was an accident involved and gives you a lesser moving violation or maybe a parking ticket, plus a fine. If you accept that you have a certain amount of time to pay it and that's it. The only time the cop will come to trial is if you plead not guilty from the beginning or decline the offer you get, and then a trial is set up with the cop.

Don't plead guilty from the beginning, you're just screwing yourself over with no chance of getting a better outcome. I would just go for the reduction and see how it goes.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: timosyy
It's VA, law section 46.2-853

I posted useless stuff like GPA to show that I'm not usually an idiot (last night being an exception apparently). Also sleep was good, some of my posts from last night make me laugh because I usually am a pretty calm guy/don't normally get hysterical.

This will not be useless in court. More importantly, neither will a clean record. Don't let opinion here get to you. Some are purposely trying to upset you. Go get some advice and quit speculating.

 

[marrr]

dude regradless if u were going 10 miles under the speed limit he woulda gave u the same ticket. He has to give u a ticket for something.

 

[allisolm]

Virginia is scary about their traffic laws! After reading some of the sites like this and this, I'd be afraid, very afraid.

The way I read it
VA law section 46.2-853 is reckless driving
reckless driving is a misdemeanor criminal offense
it's 6 points
it stays on your driving record for 11 years
it has remedial fees of $1050
Ouch!

I'd be doing whatever it took to achieve this result:
"Is there any way a reckless driving charge in Virginia may be lowered to a lesser charge or can it be beaten outright?Certain courts may permit a person charged with reckless driving charge in Virginia to attend what is commonly known as traffic school and upon completion of the course, have the VA reckless driving charged lowered to a lesser charge and in some cases even completely dismissed (Although this is pretty rare.) "

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Sea Moose
Wow no one agrees that the best thing is, that OP walk away uninjured

We don't know the OP, why would you asume that it is the best thing? What if he is a crack smoking child molester? Are you saying that you are OK with crack smoking child molesters? Pervert.