Car Accident

[michboro]

Another car hit my car last night and it was their fault. I was in the middle lane and they were in the left lane, which was supposed to be for left turn only. They decided to merge into my lane, and hit my car. They said they didn't see me. A police report was filled out, and the police officer issued a summons to the other driver for traffic violation. He gave me a subpoena to testify in court, as a witness. I don't really want to go to court, but since it is a subpoena, I have to go. This doesn't seem like standard procedure for traffic accident/traffic violation, does it?

 

[mickeyboat]

Maybe it is just a procedural thing to give it to in case you need to testify in case there is a hearing of some sort. It's probably a lot easier to find you and give it to you right at the scene than to try to locate you later.

Is there a date and time listed on the subpoena?

So sorry about your accident. I hope no one was hurt.

 

[Hedy]

No, it doesn't. I was rearended last week (I stopped at a stoplight, the cargo van behind me didn't). The police came, but I just had to file a police report.

 

[asta]

It may not be normal but I would be glad that the officer charged the other driver. I was rear ended two years ago. The police officer came and filed a report and then said to me that unless I objected he would not charge the other driver. I thought it was OK because the other driver was a polite young kid and it was obviously his fault. I ended up regretting this because the driver's parents and their insurance company (Traveler's Insurance) tried to refuse to pay for the damages to my car. They claimed that the damage was caused by the wrecker company that had to work for over an hour to separate the cars (the kids car had a steel towing hook on the front bumper that hooked the underbody of my car). Traveler's Insurance put me through two weeks of h*ll. I finally got so fed up that I called them and told them that I was going to open a medical claim and asked for a claim number. It may have been a coincidence but a check for the entire repair came in the mail two days later.

You should also file for diminished value on your car. A lot of states now allow for this type of claim. This is in addition to the repair cost of your car. It is for the reduced value of a car that has been damaged since you would get less if you now try to sell your car.

 

[Chicago526]

Huh, it must vary from state to state (or county by county). The one accident I had, the cop gave the driver a ticket, gave me a copy of of the report for my insurance company. No court involved, unless the other driver decided to fight the ticket, and even then the police report stands on it's own, no witnesses would be called I don't think. Anyway, once the ticket was given, the insurance companies handled it from there.

I think here the courts only get involved if criminal charges are filed (DUI, reckless endangerment, etc.).

 

[QT Pooh]

It could be that the other driver has other violations on their driving record that would now cause that driver to lose his/her license for a while. It's generally not a standard protocol for an accident, but if the other driver has more serious charges coming against them, that may be why you were asked to appear.