I didn’t get much sleep last night because I had a court date this morning (for the accident I caused) and I was afraid of oversleeping and missing it. I had to be there at 9am and according to MapQuest it was going to take me an hour to get there. Wanting to arrive at 8:30 meant I had to leave at 7:30 which meant getting up at 6:30 and trying to locate a suit and tie.
I ended up getting there about 8am, and a good thing I did. I found one of the last parking spaces and made my way into the line just before it got really long.
I was the only person I could see with a tie on except the person behind me. He was an older gentlemen who had gotten a speeding ticket on the way to a VFW meeting. I asked which war he was a veteran of: Korea or Vietnam. He replied “Two”.
Wow. He didn’t look like he was in his mid 70s by a long shot. Apparently he served in the Pacific theatre having signed up at age 16. I can’t imagine that.
Anyway, we finally made it into the building only to see that the line went on and on even inside. There was a young ADA in a white shirt working his way up the line looking for people with “tags, registration or insurance”. I assumed he meant expired tags, bad registration or insurance issues. I was there for a “safety violation” so I didn’t think he could help me. But he did say “insurance” and I had a note from my insurance company stating that the claim on the Toyota had been paid (US$3300 – sheesh) so I caught his attention as he walked by. Turns out he could help me, and after checking that the date on the “court letter” matched the date of the accident on the citation he said “case dismissed” and I was free to go.
I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see the judge and recite my speech:
“Your honor. I’ve been driving safely for over 20 years but a few weeks ago I caused my first accident. It was minor, but I learned that if you stop paying attention even for a moment these things can happen. Considering my clean driving record and this note from my insurance company stating that the damage I caused has been taken care of, I would respectfully like to request that this case be dismissed”.
It was more like:
Me: Here’s my note.
ADA: Case dismissed.
I prolly didn’t even have to put on a suit.
As I was walking out I noticed that the line had gotten very long (see the picture above) but was even more surprised to hear my name called. Turns out that Leif from Piedmont Biofuels was also in line. He had been ticketed for running a light that was more red than yellow, but having attended a safety course (well, “attended” is a strong word – it was offered on-line) he was supposed to get it dismissed, too.
We chatted a bit and then I drove home to change and get on the bike. It’s a lovely day to ride.