• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Should I retain a lawyer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mpasco
  • Start date Start date

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

M

mpasco

Guest
My 18 year old son has been implicated in an accident. He was not only not involved in the accident, he did not witness it

About half a block before an intersection, he signaled for a lane change and made the lane change without incident.

He then signaled for a right turn into a parking lot, slowed to make the turn, made the turn and heard a crash. He turned the car off and walked out to the road to see what happened. He saw two vehicles involved in a collision. He went to each vehicle to see if anyone was hurt, to lend assistance and waited for the police to arrive.

He then found that the person driving the pickup truck was blaming him for the accident, claiming that he panic stopped. The police officer cited him for making an improper lane change. The person in the car that struck the truck in the rear was not cited.

He will take that ticket to traffic court on December 6 and plea Not Guilty.

He was not involved in the accident, was not on the road when the accident happened and should not be charged with the accident. The insurance investigator agrees with him.

Additionally, he feels that the officer treated him differently than the other parties. After looking at the driver licenses, the officer called all the other parties by their first name, and called him only by his last name.

Being 18 years old and Asian, he felt he was treated differently. Since he becomes rattled and unsure when faced with authority, I feel he will be at a disadvantage when presenting his side to the judge in Traffic Court. Do you recommend that I hire an attorney to represent him in Traffic Court?
 


ALawyer

Senior Member
Never believe everything an 18 year old tells you!

The issue is not the fine from the ticket, as the lawyer would cost more than the fine, but the possible impact on the accident ltigation as a plea of guilty, or a finding of guilty, could be used against him in the civil litigation. TELL THE INSURANCE COMPANY IN WRITING AND ASK THEIR ADVICE.

------------------
To retain a lawyer, I suggest you go to http://AttorneyPages.com which is endorsed by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. This response is intended as general information only and NOT LEGAL ADVICE. As you are not my client I have no obligation of any kind to you.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
Top