Question regarding my car accident

[kaoticfury]

What is the name of your state? Washington

I need some advice on my accident.

i got into an accident about 3 weeks ago. Basically i was going to make a left turn, while another car, on the opposite direction, pulled from the curve ( his car was the first car on the street parking, so its pretty hard to detect he was pulling from the street parking). i did not see him and our cars collided. My car got the most serious damage, he got some minors.

The cop gave me a ticket. but i heard that i have an option to defer my ticket for 1 year. i checked the third option on the back of the ticket and asked for a contest court. i got a letter today and the court is scheduled next week.

So here are my questions:

1) if the cop does not show up, do i have chance to win my case? although i should yield him when making left turn, he should have made sure everything is clear before pulling from the curve. If i dont admit my mistake and explain, can i win?

2) if the cop shows up, can i still win? i mean.....should i just ask for ticket defer and give up on trying to explain my situation?


Thanks guys!! i have never been to the court, so not sure how to handle this kind of situation.

 

[racer72]

1. The police officer is not required to show up in court in Washington unless you subpoena him/her. The case will be called as "State of Washington vs. kaoticfury" and someone from the prosecutor's office will be there to present any evidence against you. Based on your post, you likely won't win.

2. If you have a good driving record, the representative from the prosecutor's office will make the offer of a deferral before court starts. Be there at least 30 minutes before court, depending where you are, traffic court can be a zoo. If you accept the offer, you sign a paper, and the prosecutor's rep will do all the talking in court. You will still have to pay the fine. Then all you have to do is not get any tickets for one year and the ticket goes away. If you want to fight the ticket, I would suggest hiring an attorney. Based on your post, you have no evidence that would come close to giving a judge any reason to dismiss the ticket. I have been hanging around the traffic courts of South King County the past 10 years or so and have seen what it takes to get a ticket dismissed and you will improve you odds greatly with an attorney on your side.

 

[kaoticfury]

1. The police officer is not required to show up in court in Washington unless you subpoena him/her. The case will be called as "State of Washington vs. kaoticfury" and someone from the prosecutor's office will be there to present any evidence against you. Based on your post, you likely won't win.

2. If you have a good driving record, the representative from the prosecutor's office will make the offer of a deferral before court starts. Be there at least 30 minutes before court, depending where you are, traffic court can be a zoo. If you accept the offer, you sign a paper, and the prosecutor's rep will do all the talking in court. You will still have to pay the fine. Then all you have to do is not get any tickets for one year and the ticket goes away. If you want to fight the ticket, I would suggest hiring an attorney. Based on your post, you have no evidence that would come close to giving a judge any reason to dismiss the ticket. I have been hanging around the traffic courts of South King County the past 10 years or so and have seen what it takes to get a ticket dismissed and you will improve you odds greatly with an attorney on your side.

Thank you for your reply!
i had a speeding ticket 3 years ago. i went to the court in shoreline and the judge asked me to pay $80 fine and not to commit any ticket within 7 years ( cannt remember exactly). i guess i dont have a good driving record at this point. By the way, This is a pre-Hearing seattlement conference at Munnicipal Court of seattle, NOT a contest hearing, sorry about my mistake!

So you mean it does not matter if the police shows up or not, i still will lose, right? At this point, i have not hired any attorney yet because many lawyers told me that my case is minor and not worth hiring a lawyer. So they told me to defer the ticket. So i want to at least defer the ticket. Is the procedure still the same as you mention above? go there early and talk to the representative from the prosecutor's office before the court? Where can i find the representative?

Sorry i have to ask you lots of stupid questions since i have never been inside the Seattle court

 

[racer72]

So i want to at least defer the ticket. Is the procedure still the same as you mention above?

Yes.

go there early and talk to the representative from the prosecutor's office before the court?

Yes.

Where can i find the representative?

It will be the youngish looking attorney with a crowd around him/her. The rep will likely be looking for you.