Q: Can we contest a citation and liability for an accident involving a red light dispute?
My spouse was involved in an accident while traveling on a straight road. She drove through a traffic light intersection as it was yellow turning red, but an accident report claims the light was red for 10 seconds before she passed. Her car was totaled in a T-bone collision, while the other car only had front-end damage. The police officer issued a citation for failing to obey traffic control signals, but there was an error in initially sending the citation to the wrong address, which has been corrected. The citation was resent on 03/06/2025, and there is a 10-day window to respond. Insurance informed us today that they want to assume liability based on the police report. The other driver wants us to cover their repair costs. We have not consulted with a legal professional yet. Do we have grounds to contest the citation and argue against liability for the accident?
A: A Pennsylvania attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for a week. An attorney would probably want to see the ticket to advise meaningfully. Today is roughly 12 days past March 6th, with a weekend intervening in the calendar count - you could reach out to a Pennsylvania attorney today, who would be in the best position to advise about your timeliness and your best options. Good luck
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