Q: I had to go to court for a ticket I received for "for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident." The other party
had injuries. The case was dismissed for lack of prosecution. I received my licence back immediately and had no consequences. What does the case is dismissed mean for the future?
A:
Regarding this case, it will not have any future implications. The failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident ticket is issued in regards to a traffic violation for which the state may choose to proceed on or not proceed on. In most situations where a complaining witness does not appear, the case will be dismissed. Only in situations of personal injury do these cases not get dismissed and even then, as was the case with yours, they get dismissed. This concludes the criminal investigation into the case. Upon conclusion of the case, your bond, the license, was returned to you. There is nothing to worry about this ticket anymore.
That said, you should call your insurance company to see that your liability insurance paid out to cover the other driver's injuries. If they were not fully compensated or compensated adequately, they may pursue a civil lawsuit against you. Fortunately, the dismissal of the failure to reduce speed ticket will not hurt this civil case since you did not make any admission of guilt. If there is any indication that the other driver's injuries may have not been compensated for or that they were unhappy enough with you to seek legal options, I would advise asking about your situation in the civil lawsuit section of Justia Answers and seeking out a civil law traffic attorney (the kinds of guys who advertise getting paid for being involved in a car accident).
If there is no indication that they are unhappy and your insurance has paid out on its liability policy, I wouldn't worry about this and move on with your life.
Hope that helps!
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