Do I need a lawyer for a court appearance regarding a careless driving ticket?
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Do I need a lawyer for a court appearance regarding a careless driving ticket?
My 17 year old son was in a car accident last week. He was taking a left turn, he had the green arrow signal to go and a car coming from the left ran the red light and hit him. He received a ticket for careless driving and a court date in the mail 3 days after the accident. Does that mean that the police are blaming him for the accident or is that the procedure?
Asked on September 6, 2011 under Accident Law, New Jersey
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
It is probably wise to have your son attend the upcoming court hearing with a retained lawyer to defend him at the criminal proceeding resulting from an accident that he was involved in. If he pleads guilty to the driving offense which is a criminal action and there is a civil lawsuit resulting from the underlying incident, the person bringing the civil action could use the criminal conviction as an admission by your son to prove liability in the civil action.
Since your son was cited to attend a court hearing after the accident that he was involved in, law enforcement is deeming him the cause of the mishap.
My experience is that one should try and nip these traffic offenses in the bud before they change into a bigger issue.
Good luck.
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