There are a couple of ways drivers who break the law can be held accountable for the accidents they cause. They can be ticketed, cited, arrested, or sued. They could also be injured in the accident, but that’s accountability you won’t get from the legal system.
A recent Washington Post article discusses a problem facing District of Columbia residents that may be as prevalent in Kentucky – drivers with possibly thousands of dollars of outstanding tickets who continue to drive. They’re not taken off the road, and they cause accidents.
Vehicle Striking Pedestrian Had Been Issued $19,770 in Tickets at the Time of the Accident
Twelve-year-old Paisley Brodie says she had the walk sign at the crosswalk at the Sixth and D Streets intersection in northeastern Washington, DC, on September 9. She started crossing the street when she was struck by a black Land Rover driven by Earl Darryl Curtis of District Heights, Maryland.
He claims he had a green light when Brodie struck his vehicle, damaging it. She was taken by ambulance from the site and suffered fractured toes because the Land Rover ran them over.
A witness told police the driver failed to stop at the red light. After hitting Paisley, witnesses state Curtis yelled at her for being in the crosswalk. He was cited for colliding with a pedestrian, which can result in a sentence of up to 30 days in jail.
The police report states the incident was “reckless driving,” and Curtis “operated a motor vehicle on a public street in the District of Columbia in a careless and dangerous manner.”
At the time of the accident, Curtis’ vehicle had 94 unpaid tickets worth $19,770. Six were for speeding, and four for running red lights. Automated cameras generated these tickets at intersections, so the driver could not be identified.
As of last year, about 2,100 vehicles had 40 or more unpaid tickets issued in DC. In October, a new law made it easier for the district to pursue drivers caught speeding with cameras. The Post reports that as of September, 17 pedestrians were killed and 473injured in DC traffic accidents.
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Cases of Pedestrians Being Struck By Vehicles are Rarely Criminally Prosecuted
Last June, a 77-year-old woman, Patricia Bullinger, was killed after being struck by a driver taking a left on Foxhall Road. The U.S. attorney’s office in DC declined to prosecute the driver. The car’s owner was issued more than a dozen unpaid camera speeding tickets when the accident happened.
A driver who fled a traffic stop and then killed three people in an accident last summer is being prosecuted. The car’s owner was issued more than $12,000 in unpaid tickets before the incident.
In May, Nathan Barbour was biking when he was struck by a driver running a stop sign. Barbour took a picture of the car before it left the scene and picked the driver out of a police lineup. He hasn’t heard anything from the police about his case. They told The Post the case is open and still being investigated.
The vehicle had 46 unpaid tickets worth about $10,000 when the article was published. In August, intersection cameras captured the SUV going more than 15 miles per hour above the speed limit four times.
These automated cameras generate a lot of tickets, but many are unenforced. The neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia won’t enforce them. Outstanding tickets won’t prevent someone from renewing a license (the ticket is associated with the vehicle, not the driver) in DC.
The new law, the Steer Act, allows cars with multiple speed camera tickets to be towed whether they’re paid or not. DC’s attorney general can sue the owners of out-of-state vehicles for unpaid tickets.
Contact Us Today
If you have any questions or want to discuss compensation with an attorney for injuries suffered in an accident caused by a vehicle, call The Fleck Firm at (270) 446-7000 today. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one, too.
