What is the name of your state? Wisconsin
The night before thanksgiving, I was run into by some teenagers while trying to drive across an intersection. I had a stop sign, and the cross street did not. The street I was crossing is 2 lanes, 1 in each direction. Traffic to my left (eastbound) was not coming, due to a light one block down. Traffic to my right (westbound) was backed up for several blocks due to the same light. Someone stopped in the westbound lane leaving the intersection clear so that I could go through. There were 3 or 4 other cars that stopped behind him in the westbound lane; they couldn't progress down the street anyway because of the red light one block down. I stopped at the stop sign and then proceeded through the intersection, as westbound traffic had stopped to allow. Then these kids went around the stopped traffic in the westbound lane on the right and sped through the intersection in a parking lane. They ran into me and totaled my car. I couldn't see them coming until the last second because of the stopped cars in the westbound lane, and I was almost completely through the intersection when they hit me.
The cops came and they gave me a ticket for failure to yeild at an uncontrolled intersection. My insurance company also agrees that the majority of the fault is mine. This will cost me 4 points on my license and an $80 fee. I'm not worried about the fee, but I've never had a moving violation before and feel it is unfair to be held completely accountable for the accident as it was the other people who ran into me and they were driving too fast in a lane not meant for moving traffic. I stopped and yielded to the traffic in the eastbound and westbound lanes of the street- the only two lanes of traffic. The cops said they "didn't know" whether they were going to give the other driver a ticket or not, because they had to go back and check the official law. Do I have a case if I go to court? Can I argue this down to a lesser offense? What can I do to help plead my case to a judge?
Thanks.
The night before thanksgiving, I was run into by some teenagers while trying to drive across an intersection. I had a stop sign, and the cross street did not. The street I was crossing is 2 lanes, 1 in each direction. Traffic to my left (eastbound) was not coming, due to a light one block down. Traffic to my right (westbound) was backed up for several blocks due to the same light. Someone stopped in the westbound lane leaving the intersection clear so that I could go through. There were 3 or 4 other cars that stopped behind him in the westbound lane; they couldn't progress down the street anyway because of the red light one block down. I stopped at the stop sign and then proceeded through the intersection, as westbound traffic had stopped to allow. Then these kids went around the stopped traffic in the westbound lane on the right and sped through the intersection in a parking lane. They ran into me and totaled my car. I couldn't see them coming until the last second because of the stopped cars in the westbound lane, and I was almost completely through the intersection when they hit me.
The cops came and they gave me a ticket for failure to yeild at an uncontrolled intersection. My insurance company also agrees that the majority of the fault is mine. This will cost me 4 points on my license and an $80 fee. I'm not worried about the fee, but I've never had a moving violation before and feel it is unfair to be held completely accountable for the accident as it was the other people who ran into me and they were driving too fast in a lane not meant for moving traffic. I stopped and yielded to the traffic in the eastbound and westbound lanes of the street- the only two lanes of traffic. The cops said they "didn't know" whether they were going to give the other driver a ticket or not, because they had to go back and check the official law. Do I have a case if I go to court? Can I argue this down to a lesser offense? What can I do to help plead my case to a judge?
Thanks.