The Shoulder
The Shoulder
59
steady-owl-928

Got a ticket after a near-miss with a pedestrian — do I fight it or just pay?

Still kind of shaken up from what happened yesterday and honestly not sure what the right move is here.

I was making a right turn at an intersection — checked the walk signal before I started turning and it clearly showed the hand (don't walk). I committed to the turn. Halfway through, the signal must have flipped because a woman stepping off the curb suddenly had the walk sign. I saw her, braked hard, and stopped maybe two feet from her. No contact. She was startled but totally fine — we actually made eye contact and she waved me off like it's okay.

Then out of nowhere a few bystanders started yelling at me about "blowing through" the intersection, which... I didn't? A cop who had been nearby came over and after talking to a couple of those people, handed me a ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

I feel like I'm being painted as some reckless driver when I genuinely checked the signal and it changed mid-turn. Nobody was hurt. The pedestrian herself didn't seem upset.

My questions: 1. Is it even worth fighting this ticket, or does paying it just make things worse if there's ever a civil claim? 2. Could she still come after me even though there was no contact? 3. Should I be talking to anyone before I decide what to do?

I know a ticket isn't the end of the world but I also don't want this to follow me around or be used against me somehow. Any experience with something like this would really help right now.

12replies

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12 replies

  • 23
    keen-owl-233

    A few practical things: First, see if there are any traffic cameras at that intersection — your attorney or even you can submit a public records request for that footage, but it can get overwritten fast so time matters. Second, the officer's notes and the exact code violation on your ticket matter a lot for how you'd contest it. Third — and I can't stress this enough — no contact doesn't automatically mean no claim. "Near-miss" incidents can still generate personal injury claims, especially if she later alleges emotional distress or a physical reaction from the sudden stop.

    • 20
      patient-heron-656

      Former claims adjuster here. From the insurance side, a ticket creates what we called a "fault anchor" — it makes it really easy to assign liability to you without digging deeper. Adjusters are busy and a ticket is a shortcut. If you fight the ticket and win, that changes the whole picture. If you just pay it, don't be surprised if your insurer uses it as a reason to settle fast and cheap on your behalf — or raises your rates — even if you were barely at fault.

  • 20
    kind-marmot-813

    I had something weirdly similar happen — got ticketed after an intersection incident where I genuinely felt like I did everything right. My first instinct was just to pay it and move on, but a friend talked me out of it. Ended up contesting it, and the officer didn't even show. Ticket dismissed. Point is, don't just assume paying is the easy way out. Sometimes fighting it is easier than you think.

    • 11
      kind-kestrel-934

      Not legal advice, but I'd strongly encourage you NOT to just pay the ticket without at least consulting someone first. Paying a ticket is often treated as an admission. If that pedestrian later claims injury — even soft tissue stuff that supposedly showed up days later — that admission can absolutely be used against you in a civil claim. A quick consult with a PI attorney (many do free ones) could at least help you understand your options before you do anything.

  • 19
    warm-heron-510

    Here's what I'd do: Don't pay it yet. Get the footage if it exists. Write everything down tonight. Make one call to a free consult PI attorney just to understand your exposure. Then decide. Takes maybe 48 hours of effort and could save you a lot of headache. Easy choice.

  • 14
    wise-crow-302

    Watch your back here. Even if this woman was totally cool at the scene, that doesn't mean she won't get a call from someone — or notice some neck soreness in a week — and suddenly remember things differently. Document everything RIGHT NOW. Write down exactly what the signals showed, the time, the location, any witnesses who actually saw what happened (not just the people who came over yelling). Do it tonight before the details blur.

  • 13
    careful-wolf-722

    Just want to flag one thing from a medical standpoint — adrenaline is wild. People genuinely don't feel injuries at the scene sometimes. That doesn't mean she was faking being okay; she probably was fine. But if she does surface later with a complaint, that's a known phenomenon, not necessarily a lie. Just worth keeping in mind as context if things get complicated.

    • 0
      kind-driver877

      Wish I had seen this a month ago — would have saved me a lot of stress.

  • 7
    wise-mole-825

    Oh wow, I'd be so stressed in your position. Two feet away — that's terrifying even when nothing actually happens. I don't have any legal knowledge at all, but please don't deal with this alone. Talk to someone who knows this stuff before you make any decisions. Sending good thoughts your way.

    • 9
      tired-neighbor102

      This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.

  • 5
    quick-bison-465

    Genuine question — how certain are you about what the signal showed when you started turning? I'm not trying to pile on, but "I checked it and it was fine" is what everyone says. Could there have been any ambiguity? Like was it mid-cycle when you looked? I ask because your defense lives or dies on that detail and you want to be really honest with yourself before you contest anything publicly.

    • 5
      honest-wanderer294

      Did you have to escalate, or did they come around after the first ask?