Many Buffalo car accidents involve defendants who were ticketed for moving infractions such as Following Too Closely or Passing a Stop Sign. While the defendant receiving a traffic ticket may be helpful in any lawsuit you file, its value as evidence that the defendant drove in a negligent manner largely depends on how the ticket was handled in court.
In cases where a defendant has pleaded guilty to a traffic infraction related to the auto accident, that plea is admissible as evidence against that defendant in the personal injury case. It is treated as an admission to having committed that offense. In many cases, this admission alone may be enough to establish the defendant’s negligence in causing the motor vehicle accident.
When a defendant does not plead guilty to a traffic infraction but instead is convicted of one after a trial, the conviction is not considered an admission and usually is not admissible in the personal injury case. The reason a conviction for a traffic infraction after trial is not admissible as evidence in a civil case is that because a traffic ticket is a relatively minor matter, the defendant may not have contested it as strongly as he or she would have contested a more serious charge.
If the defendant is acquitted of any traffic infraction after trial, the acquittal also is not admissible as evidence in the personal injury case, and the defendant cannot use it as evidence that he or she did not drive in the manner set forth on the traffic ticket.
If you have been injured in a car accident where another driver was negligent, please feel free to call us at 716-631-9999 for legal help.
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