Involved in a car accident with personal injuries and received careless driving traffic ticket (insurance, how much)

[vsdonald]

I was involved in a car accident and caused a personal injury to the other party.
I received a careless driving ticket.
The other party had personal injuries but not death/serious bodily injuries.

I was asked to appear in west windsor municipal court.

Will i be arrested for this ?

Does any one recommend a good traffic attorney in west windsor

Thank You

[Gerania]

You're not going to be arrested...unless the guy was filming you screaming death threats or staggering around totally blitzed. I don't know any lawyers in that area.

Have you had a nice chat with your insurance company?

[vsdonald]

Yes I talked with the insurance company and told them exactly what happened.

I am concerned as I read lot of places on internet that careless driving with personal injuries will get you arrested.

To be on safe, I am planning to hiring an attorney.

It was really a scary accident but thank god, no one was seriously injured

Why would they want me to appear in the court ?

The traffic ticket says court appearance required.

I asked Police Officer, the reason for the court appearance , he said it is because of personal injury

[luckyram]

You'll only be arrested if you DON'T show up for court......they'll issue a bench warrant for your arrest for failing to show up so don't miss it.

Who issued you the ticket...a cop or the other person? If the cop you probably can't beat it but if the other driver issued it you may have a good chance......a good attorney may be able to help minimize the penalty though in either case......yeah, you'll wind up paying out a lot up front but it may work out if he can plead it to a "no points" violation. Otherwise, the points on your DL will increase your auto insurance so it may cost you less in the long run if you use an attorney.

The other problem is if the injured person is lawsuit happy, they can use the fact you pleaded or were found guilty of the careless driving charge against you.

SEE A LAWYER

[vsdonald]

Why would they want me to appear in the court ?

The traffic ticket says court appearance required.

I asked Police Officer, the reason for the court appearance , he said it is because of personal injury

The Insurance company will take care of personal injury claim right ?

[luckyram]

Originally Posted by vsdonald

Yes I talked with the insurance company and told them exactly what happened.

I am concerned as I read lot of places on internet that careless driving with personal injuries will get you arrested.

To be on safe, I am planning to hiring an attorney.

It was really a scary accident but thank god, no one was seriously injured

Why would they want me to appear in the court ?

The traffic ticket says court appearance required.

I asked Police Officer, the reason for the court appearance , he said it is because of personal injury

Yeah....anytime there is any kind of injury it is a mandatory court appearance. But an attorney can get it postponed which they always do (sometimes several postponements) to review/prepare the case......don't sweat it, a careless driving charge is one of the most common tickets issued....it's a minor MV charge and carries 2 points and a fine of around $200. As I said, there is sometimes a way to plead it down to a no points charge but then the fine is higher.....they get you one way or another (but the no points will help with insurance cost).

[luckyram]

Oh...btw , I should've pointed out that when you first go to court it is a "first appearance"....at that time you either plead guilty or not guilty....if guilty then you meet with a court person who gets info and collects the fine, etc.

If not guilty they set a court date for trial/hearing which would be at some future time.....however, if you get a lawyer you won't even have to go on the date is says on your ticket because the lawyer will call the court personnel directly and advise he is handling your case and pleading not guilty......he'd be advised of the future court date when to appear with you and will hash out any postponements or changes....he may also talk to the prosecutor to work a plea agreement (lesser fine, no points, etc) if he can.

[vsdonald]

how much the traffic attornies usually charge ?

[JanND]

Originally Posted by luckyram

Oh...btw , I should've pointed out that when you first go to court it is a "first appearance"....at that time you either plead guilty or not guilty....if guilty then you meet with a court person who gets info and collects the fine, etc.

If not guilty they set a court date for trial/hearing which would be at some future time.....however, if you get a lawyer you won't even have to go on the date is says on your ticket because the lawyer will call the court personnel directly and advise he is handling your case and pleading not guilty......he'd be advised of the future court date when to appear with you and will hash out any postponements or changes....he may also talk to the prosecutor to work a plea agreement (lesser fine, no points, etc) if he can.

Pay close attention to this post, it is very accurate. The critical piece is to go retain an attorney.

Only the attorney's will be able to discuss fees. Anyone on here would simply be guessing. However most attorneys will give a free consult, so you will certainly know more than you know now.

Be very respectful, Your Honor this, Your Honor that when addressing the judge, if you have to. Dress like you are going to a job interview.

Good luck to you.

[luckyram]

Originally Posted by vsdonald

how much the traffic attornies usually charge ?

Is It Worthwhile To Hire A Lawyer To Fight Traffic Tickets?


BTW....don't confuse careless driving with "reckless" driving.....that's a much more serious charge with a hefty fine and 5 or 6 points (if extremely reckless, even jail time).