Car Crash

The tree wasn't even that big—it’s fine—but the car is a total loss. A few thousand dollars??? That sounds way too high to me; the cop mentioned something closer to $1,000. I don't really get why I'm the one footing the bill when those kids ran out in front of me—in my book, I should be the one suing them. By the way, I checked today, and there isn't even a "Slow: Children at Play" sign posted. The car was registered through next quarter and was in perfectly good shape, too. The real issue was all that sand on the shoulder—it made the braking uneven on both sides, which threw the whole trajectory off. I assume if I'd been driving something with decent ABS and traction control, I could have stopped normally without all this mess. I'm not too bothered about the car being totaled—my granddad just got a new one and he isn't even mad—it's just
the fine
that's weighing on me.
.
Can anyone actually answer the questions I laid out in my original post on this thread?

I haven't broken the news to my parents yet... I'm not sure how to "soften the blow," even though, logically, the kids are the ones at fault here. What do you guys think?

Setting aside all the speculation for a moment, once the actual legal proceedings begin—regardless of the specific violation—just tell your side of the story clearly. Suggest witnesses who can testify that your headlights were actually on rather than off (which could become an issue if the officer's version sticks, though there's always a chance they won't), and let the court handle summoning them, as they certainly have the authority to ensure they show up...
Given the circumstances of how this unfolded, the penalties shouldn't be overly severe, so there is a path toward a positive outcome here..
Since we don't know yet what the exact charge will be, I'm not even sure if community service would be an option to offset it. Just wait for things to develop; until you receive something in writing or official notification, there isn't much point in reacting..
I am aware of instances where parents have been held legally liable because their underage children were playing unsupervised near a roadway, causing a driver to swerve or lose control. It is entirely possible that some level of negligence could be argued in this case as well..

polly said:Following the call, their father drove them to the police station on Heinzelov in the area where the incident occurred at xx o'clock on the xx day. There, in his presence, they each gave individual statements to a juvenile court judge. It wasn't held in a courtroom, just at the precinct. They couldn't give statements to the officers who were called when it happened because it was Saturday at 8 PM, and those judges aren't on duty then.

That isn't how the law is structured... there aren't juvenile court judges stationed at police precincts.

polly said:Ninja was about 23 years old—give or take a bit.
What would change if he were somewhere between 18 and 21?

A younger adult, aged 18-21.

frozencyclist4 said:I don't get why I'm the one footing the bill when those kids were the ones who flew off the road—in my book, I should be the one suing them.

Yeah, right, as if

frozencyclist4 said:Can someone actually answer the questions from my first post in this thread?

Wait for the call
just tell the judge
be straight with them—no pressure, no aggression. At the end of the day, they're just people, and you're the one who took the hit here. You can breeze through this—if the amount is high, you can ask about a payment plan, or you can always appeal the decision.

And who was this genius that even thought calling the cops was a good idea?

probably just some lady with way too much free time on her hands...

frozencyclist4 said:The tree wasn't even that big—he’s fine, but my car is a total wreck. A few thousand bucks??? Isn't that a bit much? The cop told me it would be closer to $1,000. I honestly don't get why I'm the one footing the bill when those kids darted out at me—by my logic, shouldn't I be suing them? Anyway, I checked today and there was no "Slow: Children" sign. My registration was good for another three months and the car was in perfect shape, but the issue was all that sand on the side of the road... it made my braking uneven and pulled me right out of my lane. I guess if I'd been driving my own car with ABS and traction control, I could've stopped normally without all this mess. I'm not too upset about the car being banged up—my grandpa just got a new one anyway and isn't mad—it's just this
fine

Check the police report... if by any chance (and I say "any chance" 😢) the officers noted that sand on the roadway, you could sue the department responsible for road maintenance.

Then again, since we aren't in the European Union where road conditions are found to be at fault in a third of these accidents, I wouldn't be surprised if they just nail you for "driving too fast for conditions."

So, how am I supposed to get my hands on the meeting minutes?

$6.75 bitter and right there on Goldman Sachs

Heinzel's? Where on earth is that—I'm from a smaller town in the Midwest, so I'm wondering if there’s anything closer to my neck of the woods.

A buddy of mine mentioned I might be looking at a fine in the $3,000 to $4,000 range—he says the initial hit covers everything from not adjusting my speed to the actual excess—plus the added stuff about endangering kids and disturbing the peace. Apparently, fines have gone through the roof over the last couple of years...

frozencyclist4 said:The Heinzel center? I've never heard of it—I'm from a small town in Kansas, so is there anything closer to my neck of the woods?

They’re just setting up highway patrol checkpoints right where the accident happened...

frozencyclist4 said:The Heinzelman place? Where is that—I'm from a small town in the Midwest, is there anything closer to me?

A buddy told me I could be looking at $3,000 to $4,000 in fines. He says the first part of the hit is just failing to adjust speed to road conditions—plus whatever the actual speeding was—on top of endangering kids and disturbing the peace. Apparently, penalties have skyrocketed over the last couple of years...

What kind of conditions? Was it raining, snowing, or icy?

$3,000 or $4,000?! Seriously? A murderer can get 40 years, but I bet some local politician gets less for a massive embezzlement scandal at a county court.

Do I actually need to pay anything for this?

I honestly can't believe the ticket hasn't shown up in the mail yet...

If it’s not going to be 3 or 4 bucks, then what's the damage gonna be???

The card finally showed up 😁 , 1000+110+$6.75