YoMamma October 23, 2007 Share YoMamma Member October 23, 2007 (edited) Sat night (technically 12:30am Sunday) I was involved a car crash involving 3 cars. I had just left the All State Arena after a Fall Out Boy concert (Young Wild Things Tour on Oct 20th). There was heavy traffic and I happened to look over at my girlfriend since we were talking at the same moment the car in front me was braking. Luckily, it was only a 30mph or so crash, so no one was hurt. The girls in the car I hit were complaining about neck trauma, but I hope it's only temporary. We were both in the left lane, but when I hit her car, she turned into the right lane, thus hitting the third car. I was driving my mom's 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix at the scene because my car was in the shop getting new brakes earlier in the day... Now I have to appear in court on Nov 19. This is my first car accident so I don't really know what to expect on that day or if it matters how to dress. Edited October 24, 2007 by YoMamma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmerisme October 23, 2007 Share farmerisme Member October 23, 2007 Even if it was your fault, car accidents are not like real life. It is not in your best interest to 'own up to your guilt' or you will get hosed by the insurance companies and the lawyers for the others involved. Do not lie but no need to say 'it was all my fault'. Hopefully they do not sue... my brother got sued by some dude in a minor car accident for 150,000 in lost wages and medical costs. It got thrown out, but you never know what will shake loose, specially if you say 'it was all my fault'.Glad no one was injured, remember cars can be replaced, but not people.By the way, been to court once for a car accident... do not worry about it, dress nice and act polite, do not lie (they can tell when you lie) and it'll be all right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nut October 23, 2007 Share nut Member October 23, 2007 wear a suit.. if you look good they will see you care... and hopefully drop some punishment. Plead not guilty.. and use rule 602... lack of personal knowledge. lol shux =X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty October 23, 2007 Share Fatty GC Founder October 23, 2007 I should have never taken my eyes off the road... Post up a pic of the girl and we'll make that judgement. My Worst Accident (i wasn't the driver) (good advice above from the farmer, ignore capt.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xterminator October 23, 2007 Share Xterminator Member October 23, 2007 farmer makes good points. Dress properly, think of a businessman, when they want to pitch an idea do they show up to the potential clients place of work wearing shorts and a t shirt? no. As for the girls, if they get checked out by a doctor and there is some issue, it never hurts for a second opinion, you never know when someone could try to scam you for cash. See if you can have your own doctor examine them and conclude if there is any trauma (if it comes to that). Good luck with everything dude we'll help you out as much as we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoMamma October 23, 2007 Author Share YoMamma Member October 23, 2007 No need for pictures because everyone is in one piece without any visible signs of damage. My only concern would be internal muscle strain or a falsified or exaggerated claim by any of the girls in the car I hit. Either way, I won't find out until my court date. Hopefully none of them bother to show up. Good points with dressing up and not "admitting guilt." If they ask, I'll just state my story and let them decide my faith. One of my friends talked to me earlier today about how when he went to court for a similar situation, he only had to stand in front of the judge for no more than 15 seconds because no one else involved showed up. He got his license back that same day and went home without any court fees since that was his first accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieChan October 23, 2007 Share JackieChan GC Alumni October 23, 2007 Dang... glad to hear you're alright. Hope everything works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick October 23, 2007 Share [LaW]Maverick Member October 23, 2007 I got into a car accident which was completely the girl's fault (she was stopped int he left lane on the highway over a rise...) anyway, I hit her going 'bout 35. She was fine, didn't complain of pain or anything--I even ran into oncoming traffic to make sure she was alright. TWO YEARS later, she tried to sue me for $25,000 saying she experienced severe back trauma, missed work, and lost a job because of the accident. She waited TWO YEARS! I mean, that's such crap, I could smell it. In any case, it was an obvious lie. I even loaded up her MySpace page and it showed a picture of her dancing at a party. Oh yeah, some severe back trauma. She just wanted money, and I still despise her for it this day. My insurance company's lawyer handled it, I didn't have to pay a cent, but she manipulated and abused the system, and it really makes me angry. I guess what I'm trying to say, if they're the kind of people that were whining about neck injuries at 30 mph, don't be surprised if they sue--but if they do, then your insurance company deals with it. So, it's not as horrible as it could be. I hope they don't sue, but people are lying sons of @#$@'s, and they'll do anything to make an easy buck. As far as court goes, I can't emphasize this enough PLEAD GUILTY IF YOU ARE GUILTY. The reason for this is, if you plead not guilty, and don't lie (which you should NEVER do), then after they question you about events, they will find out that you're very guilty and know it. They'll be ticked you wasted the court's time, they'll be angry that you were trying to get off lightly and not take responsibility, and they'll slam you that much harder. Plead guilty, you'll get a fine, then you'll go home. It wasn't a serious enough accident for them to really come down hard on you unless they think you're trying to weasel out of it. Do the right thing, own up to your guilt...not enough people do that in today's society, and I've got family in law-enforcement, and even one that's a lawyer. Trust me, plead guilty if you did it. Don't say, however, things like this: "I was being stupid and..." or "It was all my fault..." Just say "I'd like to plead guilty, your honor." and be done with it. They will respect you for owning up to it. Ok, now that I'm done being harsh...I'm sorry it happened man, but I'm really glad that you and the people involved are OK. How was Fallout boy? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjester October 23, 2007 Share benjester Member October 23, 2007 (edited) I would actually plead no contest or not guilty personally... admitting guilt outright, may or may not work out for you depending on the judge and DA. Everyone is giving good advice though. If you have a family lawyer, consult them. Edited October 23, 2007 by benjester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep48 October 23, 2007 Share shep48 Member October 23, 2007 I would ask your insurance company or a lawyer how to plea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick October 23, 2007 Share [LaW]Maverick Member October 23, 2007 I would ask your insurance company or a lawyer how to plea. Very, very good call...pleading no contest is actually probably best...but ask them, they'll know what to do...as long as you're being honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00b3rN00b October 23, 2007 Share 00b3rN00b Member October 23, 2007 (edited) I would seriously delete anything relating to this post admitting any sort of guilt; one of the first thing your lawyer advises you of is to not talk about the situation with anybody until this is resolved. I am going through a similar situation for an accident which happened almost 4 years ago. You should be alright if you have insurance (your car insurance company is legally obligated to defend you in these types of situations) and the accident, even if caused in part by you, may not be 100% your responsibility depending on what circumstances it was caused under. Your lawyer cannot "tell" you how to plea, but they can answer questions about what financial responsibilities may be contestable under the law and assist you. You will most likely be asked what percentage of the damages were caused by you; if you think that it may be less than 100% and will be personally responsible for the funds, you may want to state what other factors contributed to the crash rather than admitting to the responsibility for the entire accident. Edited October 23, 2007 by 00b3rN00b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowman October 23, 2007 Share Shadowman Member October 23, 2007 I got hit by a car while I was stopped at a red light, and the guy who hit me who was going 80 mph. Yet I was not able to sue. But listen to 00ber, don't speak about the accident about who's fault it was or anything until the court date. Opening your mouth about it can come back to bite you in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick October 23, 2007 Share [LaW]Maverick Member October 23, 2007 (edited) Meh, in Ohio, hitting someone in the rear is ALWAYS YOUR FAULT....no matter what. It's a lil' ridiculous. Anyway, do what you feel is best man! :-) That's the best advice anyone can give. Good luck, and I hope those girls are NOT greedy liars... Hahaha...sorry, I forgot the "not" in there before. Edited October 29, 2007 by [LaW]Maverick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmerisme October 23, 2007 Share farmerisme Member October 23, 2007 If you do not mind me asking, why do you have to go to court? Are they claiming reckless driving? or what? Couldn't be civil claims court yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairweather October 23, 2007 Share Fairweather Member October 23, 2007 i got charged with careless driving b/c my friend thought it'd be funny to stop really fast infront of me and i hit him and he got off scot free with a new car my insurance paid for.. i think the cop had it in for teenage boys at the time... at most they should just give you a slap on the wrist with a following too close or something which isnt tttooo bad but your insurance is gonna take a hit, being a younger guy i know its already rediculous but hopefully it wont be that much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoMamma October 24, 2007 Author Share YoMamma Member October 24, 2007 If you do not mind me asking, why do you have to go to court? Are they claiming reckless driving? or what? Couldn't be civil claims court yet. No. My ticket states: "Failure Reduce Speed/Avoid Accident." I think in the state of IL, you must appear in court for any accident if you are held responsible for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gond October 26, 2007 Share Gond Member October 26, 2007 Are you certain she didn't hit the car to the right...thus reducing her speed at an unsafe rate causing you to hit her in the rear? hehe...I do know when a 3 car rear end happens they always ask the front driver if they felt 1 hit or 2...did the cop ask the car to the right this question? I'm glad your ok and it sucks to have to "work the system" but if you don't you will be screwed. Wouldn't it be nice if you could say "Yup...my fault, I'll pay damages" without being sued for a million bucks? But then that only happens in my perfect world and the doctors said I can't live there anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tek-Almighty October 28, 2007 Share Tek-Almighty Member October 28, 2007 Glad everyone is alright. But... Your first mistake was going to a Fallout Boy concert... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick October 29, 2007 Share [LaW]Maverick Member October 29, 2007 If you do not mind me asking, why do you have to go to court? Are they claiming reckless driving? or what? Couldn't be civil claims court yet. No. My ticket states: "Failure Reduce Speed/Avoid Accident." I think in the state of IL, you must appear in court for any accident if you are held responsible for it. Yeah, you have to appear in court in Ohio for any accident...as far as I know. That being said...please don't try to "work the system." If you do, and you get caught, it'll be worse on you. In Ohio, by the way, those girls would've been sited for hitting the car to the right....My friend's grandmother was involved in, I believe, a 5 car accident. One guy hit someone in the rear so hard, it caused the next 3 cards to hit the cars in front of them. His grandmother was the 2nd car hit so hard in the rear that she hit the car in front of her, but she was cited. Ohio's a wacky place, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoMamma November 20, 2007 Author Share YoMamma Member November 20, 2007 I figured I should give an update to this story. I went to court today and got my license back in a matter of 10seconds. No one else who was involved showed up, so the judge just looked at me, wrote something down, and said I was dismissed. I didn’t even need to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymo November 20, 2007 Share anonymo Member November 20, 2007 Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick November 20, 2007 Share [LaW]Maverick Member November 20, 2007 definitely sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjester November 20, 2007 Share benjester Member November 20, 2007 awesome! congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowDog November 20, 2007 Share ShadowDog Member November 20, 2007 Fall Out Boy... ewwww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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