I knew this kind of call would come someday. It came today.
Caller: Do you handle appeals of speeding tickets?
I asked him to tell me more about the situation. He had gotten a speeding ticket in Athens Town Court. Athens is in Greene County, a bit south of Albany. The ticket was for 90 mph in a 65 zone.
He went to trial himself, using the Tipmra method. He seemed surprised I'd never heard of it.
Of course he lost the trial. I checked out the Tipmra site later and found out that, like others, they guarantee you a refund. Whoopee! This guy just got whacked with $655 in fines and surcharges, his insurance rates are going to go through the roof, his license is in jeopardy, and you'll refund his $29.95. Thanks.
Of course, it turns out that this guy didn't actually pay for the whole thing. He read the free part of the site and went from there. Now he's calling me for free advice on how to do his appeal. The conversation went a bit downhill after I told him I'd charge $2500 to do an appeal in County Court.
And now he's got another ticket, for 93 mph in a 65 zone. Hmm. 6 points plus 6 points equals 12 -- about to lose his license. Nice going.
If he had hired me (or any other competent lawyer), he would have gotten his first ticket resolved for about $400, with minimum fines, no risk to his license, and no impact on his insurance.
The funniest part -- he got the first ticket when he was on his learner's permit. I asked who was in the car with him -- his dad. So he's going 90 mph with his dad in the car.
Reminds me of the Darwin awards. :-)
2 comments:
I just got a speeding ticket in SD California. I was going at 80+ MPH on a 65 MPH road. The details are not sent home yet, but I'm worried about it. My insurance record is not so good because I recently got into an accident. With this ticket, do you think it will affect my insurance payment? Will I have to go to court and is it mandatory? And how much do you think the fine will be? This is my first ticket, I'm not sure how to deal with it. Thank you for clarifying my concerns.
I can't answer that question for many reasons. The biggest reason is that I'm not a California lawyer. I suggest you look for a lawyer in the area where you got your ticket. If you can't find a traffic lawyer, try a criminal defense lawyer.
Post a Comment