Comments on: “Comatose Little Girl Gets Ticket for Jaywalking”

By: Eric T.

Eric T. — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:12:29 +0000

Good for the Police for memorializing the fact that the girl was crossing the street in an unsafe manner.

Guilty until proven innocent. I remember all about that in civics class.

By: Takara Davis Files Suit (Teenager that Got Jaywalking Ticket While In Coma) – New York Personal Injury Law Blog

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:20:06 +0000

[…] Overlawyered […]

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:56:54 +0000

I side with the Police on this one. No doubt the girl’s parents will try to sue the driver. Good for the Police for memorializing the fact that the girl was crossing the street in an unsafe manner.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:01:53 +0000

So if I rob a liquor store and cut myself badly when I run through a glass door to escape, I should not be citied? Are cops supposed to give a free pass to those who injure themsevles badly when committing a minor crime?
In reality cops often do not cite those who are injured, but I dont agree with this policy, and some of those same people later sue my company!

By: Don

Don — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:56:44 +0000

Police in Boise Idaho issued a citation to a boy hit by a car last week.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/01/05/1477041/boise-police-12-year-old-boy-hit.html

Of course, this boy wasn’t in a coma. Both stories happening about the same time, makes me wonder, maybe this is fairly common practice, but doesn’t make the newswire normally. This time it did because of the circumstances of the girl fighting for her life in the hospital when the citation was issued.

By: J.T. Wenting

J.T. Wenting — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:16:39 +0000

” What kind of self-absorbed jerk of a police officer walks to the hospital to do that job?”

a cop who gets paid by the ticket… It’s that way here with many police departments. Each cop has a quotum to meet, if they write X number of tickets in a given year for Y Euros at least they get promoted and a bonus. If they write less, they get a reprimand which means they can say goodbye to promotion for years to come.

I’ve little doubt it’s the same in many US departments.

By: L Nettles

L Nettles — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:31:55 +0000

In my state a conviction of a minor traffic offense or the forfeiture of bond on a charge is inadmissible, a guilty plea is admissible if inconsistent with a later position.

By: Foxfier

Foxfier — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 04:19:41 +0000

Stephen –
Given that she was hit by a car, it’s pretty dang clear that “jaywalking” in this situation would still be a crime with all of your qualifications.

By: gitarcarver

gitarcarver — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 20:57:35 +0000

I may be asking a silly question here, but is there any indication that the cop knew the girl was comatosed or badly injured when the ticket was issued?

For some reason I keep seeing this image of a cop walking in the hospital, asking for the child, being told she is still being examined, being pointed to the mother and issuing the ticket.

There is no indication from the report as to when the ticket was given.

Whether the cop was insensitive or not depends on the sequence of events and when the ticket was given.

By: Bob Lipton

Bob Lipton — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:18:07 +0000

While the ticket might be inadmissible, should the family be too busy with the funeral to fight the ticket, which would result in her being found guilty of the jaywalking charge, would that fact be admissible?

Bob