Camera left turn on red, Emergency situation?

[OPAH]

Headed down the Freeway (California) A truck was pulled over to the side, the driver was sitting in the truck on his cell phone.
I noticed the underside of his engine was on fire and the driver dint seem to know.
I exited the free and the off ramp left hand turn was red, waited a second verified all was clear and preceded to turn around, Flash signal light camera.
I got back to the truck, got the driver out and used my Fire extinguisher to put out what fire we could see without opening the hood. Fire department came and verified the fire was indeed out.
Question: is there a Emergency situation clause that would assist me in court, I will have documentation from the Fire Department that responded.

 

[tranquility]

Headed down the Freeway (California) A truck was pulled over to the side, the driver was sitting in the truck on his cell phone.
I noticed the underside of his engine was on fire and the driver dint seem to know.
I exited the free and the off ramp left hand turn was red, waited a second verified all was clear and preceded to turn around, Flash signal light camera.
I got back to the truck, got the driver out and used my Fire extinguisher to put out what fire we could see without opening the hood. Fire department came and verified the fire was indeed out.
Question: is there a Emergency situation clause that would assist me in court, I will have documentation from the Fire Department that responded.

I would hope so. If you actually have a report from the fire department at the time of the photograph that mentions you using your extinguisher, even if it is just in an log, that seems an awesome excuse to fight the robot taxation device.

 

[Zigner]

This does sound like one of those relatively rare instances where a violator DOES have a reasonable excuse. Definitely speak to the judge about it (bring all of your documentation).

 

[OPAH]

Thats it??

No laws that provide an exempt for emergencies, Life and death situations ? You know something like the Good Samaritan law! It still makes you jump thru a couple hoops but it does protect you from being sued.
So there is nothing in the Cal Vehicle code passing thru a red light, or break the speed limit, or cross over double yellow lines, when it is safe to do so in an emergency?
The Hick up in this Getty up is with out such a exemption the law is the law and no matter what the circumstances were for breaking the law you are guilty and can be fined and or imprisoned. Should you get a judge that has had a bad day or just plain lives by the law. There has to be some statute that provides for emergences

 

[Zigner]

No laws that provide an exempt for emergencies, Life and death situations ? You know something like the Good Samaritan law! It still makes you jump thru a couple hoops but it does protect you from being sued.
So there is nothing in the Cal Vehicle code passing thru a red light, or break the speed limit, or cross over double yellow lines, when it is safe to do so in an emergency?

You can't prove "life and death" - so all you have is a vehicle fire that you decided to assist in putting out (that's how it will look on paper.) As I said before, go to court on the date on the ticket and speak to the judge about it. Bring all of your documentation, dress nicely, and speak respectfully.

 

[tranquility]

No laws that provide an exempt for emergencies, Life and death situations ? You know something like the Good Samaritan law! It still makes you jump thru a couple hoops but it does protect you from being sued.
So there is nothing in the Cal Vehicle code passing thru a red light, or break the speed limit, or cross over double yellow lines, when it is safe to do so in an emergency?

There is not a law but a defense. Here, defense of property or defense of persons. Like the storied example of a husband rushing to the hospital with his wife about to do birth of old, stopped by the officer who finds out the problem and gives them an escort to get that baby started right. That did not give him the right to speed, it gave him a defense to a claim of speeding. Obviously, such a thing would not really be successful in these days of paramedics, but, we've all heard the story.

Unless you are an officer with a red lamp on the front of the vehicle turned on, you have a legal duty to follow the traffic laws.

The problem here is that most such decisions are made by people before a citation is given. The cop pulls the person over, hears the reason and decides. Most anything close to a realistic determination of an emergency and the officer won't write the citation. If the officer decides it was not an emergency, the motorist still has a shot with the judge. Robot enforcement cuts out the first discriminatory function of an officer who can assess the facts in real time.

 

[Zigner]

There is not a law but a defense. Here, defense of property or defense of persons. Like the storied example of a husband rushing to the hospital with his wife about to do birth of old, stopped by the officer who finds out the problem and gives them an escort to get that baby started right. That did not give him the right to speed, it gave him a defense to a claim of speeding. Obviously, such a thing would not really be successful in these days of paramedics, but, we've all heard the story.

Unless you are an officer with a red lamp on the front of the vehicle turned on, you have a legal duty to follow the traffic laws.

The problem here is that most such decisions are made by people before a citation is given. The cop pulls the person over, hears the reason and decides. Most anything close to a realistic determination of an emergency and the officer won't write the citation. If the officer decides it was not an emergency, the motorist still has a shot with the judge. Robot enforcement cuts out the first discriminatory function of an officer who can assess the facts in real time.

(Today's turning out to be a day for stories from me I guess.)

The first ticket I ever received was for turning left on a red left arrow (I still maintain it was yellow, but that's not what this story is about). I was driving my mother to the hospital who was in the middle of an asthma attack. I was turning left on to the street that the hospital was on about 1 block away. Unfortunately, I was a kid (16) and didn't speak up. The officer simply asked for my license and then walked back to his car...when he returned with the ticket, he asked why I didn't stop, then I pointed to my mom and said "she's having an asthma attack and can't breath, we're headed to THAT hospital!" He simply walked away.

 

[OPAH]

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!!

Well all said and done the Judge didn't want to hear reasons for running the light, the driver of the Truck never came thru with the Insurance or his statement, and the fire department said it was a non-incident and no reports were made.
$520.00 fine plus 2 half days off work is a lesson well learned, The sheriffs at the court were rude as hell, felt like I had an orange jump suit on. So sad, I now that the next time will be a non-event for me also cause I will not be getting involved again.

 

[tranquility]

Well all said and done the Judge didn't want to hear reasons for running the light, the driver of the Truck never came thru with the Insurance or his statement, and the fire department said it was a non-incident and no reports were made.
$520.00 fine plus 2 half days off work is a lesson well learned, The sheriffs at the court were rude as hell, felt like I had an orange jump suit on. So sad, I now that the next time will be a non-event for me also cause I will not be getting involved again.

Sorry about your loss. To be fair, you really did have to prove your claim to win.

 

[Zigner]

Well all said and done the Judge didn't want to hear reasons for running the light, the driver of the Truck never came thru with the Insurance or his statement, and the fire department said it was a non-incident and no reports were made.
$520.00 fine plus 2 half days off work is a lesson well learned, The sheriffs at the court were rude as hell, felt like I had an orange jump suit on. So sad, I now that the next time will be a non-event for me also cause I will not be getting involved again.

Knowing what you know now, perhaps it would have been/would be better to wait for the green (as opposed to not getting involved.)

 

[OPAH]

Too many things the fire was underneath close to the saddle tank, really would have been sad if I waited got turned around and BOOOM one less Daddy. Just seems in our no tolerance stance for all the crap out there, Lady Liberty has lost her sight and the laws are imposed blindly. Just blows the wind out of your sails

 

[Zigner]

Too many things the fire was underneath close to the saddle tank, really would have been sad if I waited got turned around and BOOOM one less Daddy. Just seems in our no tolerance stance for all the crap out there, Lady Liberty has lost her sight and the laws are imposed blindly. Just blows the wind out of your sails

Yes, I understand, but you said that, if the same situation were to occur in the future, you would just not get involved. I suggested waiting for the green as an alternative.

 

[OPAH]

Yes, I understand, but you said that, if the same situation were to occur in the future, you would just not get involved. I suggested waiting for the green as an alternative.

Yes I understood that, that is where it took to long and BOOOOM one less Daddy, came in to it. The rest was just my rambling and dismay, first in the lack of appreciation from the driver, second the lack of interest of the fire department and third (strike three) the lack of any willingness of the court (JUDGE) to even listen to what I had to say.
I know what I did, why I did and the out come of my actions, "its become though luck its not my problem"
and I am very doughtful I would do it again. Maybe if the driver had followed thru with what he said he would do, I would be thinking different.