F-1 student issued ticket with court summons for incident at private parking lot

[advanced126]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Colorado

F-1 student caused a dent in a car in a private parking lot. The dented car's owner called the cops, and the cop issued a ticket with summons. I backed away to park in a different spot after the incident, but the car owner told the cops that he had to make me stop. The cop took this in a different way and gave a ticket with court summons. I would like to know the consequences, and how to go about this.

Really appreciate all advice here. Thanks in advance.

 

[racer72]

Pay the ticket? That's what most folks would do.

 

[FlyingRon]

Bad advice Racer. We need to know what he is charged with. If he is charged with leaving the scene, that is a class 2 misdemeanor. You just can't mail in the fine on that and frankly he's not GUILTY of it so it is unclear why he should plead guilty.

 

[racer72]

Got up too early. I thought the OP was just going for the "private parking lot" defense thinking he could not be cited there.

 

[advanced126]

Thanks for the reply, guys

Thanks for the reply, guys.

I was charged with 1402 Careless Driving (code 141) and a check mark near Summons on my ticket. That is all I can gather from my ticket ( I am new to US too). The other checkmarked boxes are Traffic accident, Traffic and Municipal on the ticket.

Any help would be really appreciated.

 

[FlyingRon]

46-2-1402 is still a class 2 misdemeanor. You should consult an attorney.

A person who drives a motor vehicle, bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, or low-power scooter in a careless and imprudent manner, without due regard for the width, grade, curves, corners, traffic, and use of the streets and highways and all other attendant circumstances, is guilty of careless driving.​

Not knowing just what transpired here, we can't tell. A lawyer will be able to discover if you're likely guilty or what other defenses you may have. However, there's a lot of Colorado legal precedent that says Careless Driving can indeed be charged in parking lots. It would depend what evidence they have that you operated in a careless or imprudent manner. The fact you hit someone in a parking lot itself isn't necessarily an indication of that.