Feifer & Greenberg, LLP

What happens when both drivers claim a green light?

What happens when both drivers claim a green light

What happens when both drivers claim a green light?

When both drivers claim that they had the green light after an accident at an intersection, it adds a slight layer of complexity to the accident that wouldn’t be there in a situation where the facts are not in dispute.   In the case of most New York car accidents, if there are no witnesses or other evidence indicating fault it’s difficult to predict how the accident report might read or how the responding officer might interpret the situation.   

In situations like this, it’s possible that one of the parties will be issued a ticket for running a red light and also possible that the party issued the ticket won’t agree with the assessment.  Here are some things to consider when involved in an accident where both drivers claim a green light and you’ve been issued a red light ticket even when you are certain your light was green.  

Video Footage

Vehicle dash cameras, or dashcams, are an increasingly popular option for anyone from commercial drivers to taxi and limo drivers to the average occasional driver.  We’ve already had a number of cases where dashcam footage has helped show the officer was mistaken and red light tickets are one in particular can benefit from this footage as the color of the approaching light is almost always visible on camera.  Dashcam footage can help protect you from summonses, in an accident…it’s a relatively small expense and likely one that most drivers should consider. 

No dashcam? If the accident occurred on a busy road, a business or resident may have a street-facing security system. In this case, time is of the essence, as most systems have a storage capacity of one to two weeks. Look around the scene for any cameras that may have been pointed at the intersection that might help show what actually happened and try to approach the owner of the camera if possible. 

Witnesses

Generally with witnesses, you’ll know right away if there’s anyone who may have seen something and can potentially provide a statement on your behalf.  Passengers in your car, other vehicles at the scene, pedestrians, bicyclists, street vendors…anyone who may have seen what happened is a potentially helpful witness.

Of course not all witnesses may have the same impact on a case.  A statement from your own child or spouse or friend in your car is likely to carry less weight than a statement from an unrelated unbiased bystander.  Ask anyone present to give a statement if they felt you were in the right–our experience is people at accident scenes are generally open to sharing what they saw by providing at least a sworn statement.  

I had the green light but I am facing a red light ticket.

If you were issued a red light ticket after a car accident in New York, feel free to reach out to one of our New York red light ticket lawyers today.  We can help fight the ticket if you feel you were wrongfully issued the summons. 

Our goal will always be to work with you to eliminate or minimize the damage a typical traffic violation might cause.  We will do our best to mitigate the risk of insurance hikes, court fines, DMV assessments and points added to your driver license. 

Reach out to a New York traffic ticket lawyer today by calling (888) 445-9886.

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FAQ

Your office is in NYC. How do you handle cases statewide?

We have organized a statewide network of attorneys. In our network are both attorneys who work for Feifer & Greenberg and attorneys who work for other firms that regularly provide of-counsel representation to our clients. This statewide network allows us to match clients in a particular county or court with local attorneys who regularly appear on similar matters in the same county or court. It enables us to help clients anywhere in New York State and in our opinion provide particularly effective and affordable representation for our clients. Local attorneys can draw on their particular local experiences and, with travel time and expense removed from the equation, help us keep our legal fees low.

Do you guarantee results?
We can only guarantee that we will provide the best possible client service and legal representation. We can’t guarantee results. These are legal proceedings and we can’t promise you that every case will end in our favor. We will always honestly assess your case (both good and bad) and set realistic expectations during your consultation. We’ll discuss our goals and objectives but no attorney can ever guarantee how a case will conclude.
Should I just pay my ticket or should I fight?

We recommend fighting almost all tickets. Even if the current NY traffic tickets aren’t particularly harmful, you have an incentive to keep your record clean for the future. Convictions quickly lead to surcharges, insurance increases and other complications. You should strongly consider any decision to pay a ticket without fighting.

How can our traffic ticket lawyers help you?

Our lawyers are experienced, prepared attorneys who understand the nuances of fighting traffic tickets. Experience, preparation and good decision making help us to help our clients avoid points, surcharges, insurance increases and the other negatives that can easily result from a traffic ticket.

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