ACCIDENTS – What to do If You’re in One

Since summer was ending and the school year started, the boys weren’t able to spend their mornings together – something they really missed. They especially missed the conversations they had with the retired lawyer who lived in the village next to the park. The old lawyer talked to them like they were real people. They learned so much from him about many things that interested them. Now, Saturday mornings were the only times they could go to the park next to the small lake by the canal that swirled through their residential community and visit with him.

The boys would almost always arrive at the park at about the same time when each would grab a swing. As soon as the second boy arrived, the first one, already seated on his swing, said, “He was there by the pool.”

“Who?”

“Who do you think? The old man, you know. The lawyer.”

The retired lawyer was sitting on the bench next to the pool that was part of the retirement village that was now his home. He would sit there every morning, thinking about his past when he practiced law. In those days, he had represented many clients in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek, and even as far away as Apache Junction. He would often represent those clients at the courthouse in Phoenix. A busy and sometimes exhausting past. But he missed it. At least talking to the boys brought back so many memories he enjoyed. He looked up and saw them running towards him, a smile on his face, “I wonder what they will want to talk about today?”

“Hi, mister,” one of the boys said. “I got a question.”

“What else?” he thought.

One of the boys went on to explain that his mother was in an auto accident the previous day. It wasn’t a bad accident yet, because she had been told that it was the thing to do, she called the police. By the time the police arrived, the other driver had already left. He told his lawyer friend that his mom told the officer what had happened. He said he would make a report. Then he gave her a ticket for careless driving. She asked him why in the world he would give her a ticket when the accident wasn’t her fault. He didn’t even listen to her but said she could tell the judge when she went to the court for her ticket. He told her that she could go ahead and pay the ticket or wait until it came up in court.

The old lawyer agreed that it was probably not the right thing to do, but police officers often gave tickets just to show they were doing their job.

Then, the old, retired lawyer explained that today, with so many cars on the road, everyone who drives is almost bound to be involved in an accident sometime during their life. That is why everyone should be prepared to do the necessary things following an accident.

The police and the insurance people created the necessary things to do. They established several actions people were supposed to take when they were involved in an accident. The actions required that the driver must first check to see if anyone involved was injured. If someone is injured, the driver must seek medical attention by taking the injured person to the emergency room or calling for an ambulance as soon as possible. Next, after ensuring everyone was in a safe location, the police should be called to report the accident. Then, the drivers should exchange information, including names, addresses, and insurance. It was also important that they should take pictures of the scene and of the vehicles’ damage. At some point, shortly after the accident, the drivers should contact their insurance companies to file a claim. The driver should then think about consulting his lawyer. This is especially true if the accident is serious or if he has a legal question.

All the above must be done, but not necessarily in the order suggested. For example, the driver may not be in a hurry for the police to arrive because his experience told him that the police officer would be sure to hand out a ticket. It also told him that he wouldn’t be able to give him a ticket if he weren’t at the accident scene when the policeman arrived.

The retired lawyer then asked the boy whether his mother had done all those things required of her. The boy said that she had, but the lawyer told him his mother still had to go to court because of the ticket. Concerned with his mother, the boy asked whether the retired lawyer could go to court with his mom.

The lawyer explained that since he was retired, he couldn’t act as her lawyer, but he could certainly go with her as a friend. The boys were appreciative.

It was just several days later that she had to appear in court. She could have just paid the ticket and not gone to court, but Mom wanted no part of that. She insisted that she had a right to tell the judge that she had done nothing wrong and that the cop was just being mean. Fortunately, the judge, familiar with the police officer’s habit of passing out tickets, understood and dismissed the charges. Mom was still not pleased. She wanted to tell the police officer how much trouble he caused just because he wanted to make himself look good. Nothing bothered him.

That conversation satisfied her, but it changed nothing, and the police officer would continue doing things his way.

The retired lawyer explained to the kids that this was the way of the world. People will do those things that favor themselves and not worry about what they did to others. It did bother him that the kids, at that early age, were exposed to such self-centered behavior. He guessed that it might be appropriate for young people to learn about how people really are. It is a shame but unavoidable.

The old man sighed, thinking that no matter how unpleasant the circumstances, he certainly enjoyed these kids. They always found a great deal of pleasure in his company and appreciated everything he taught them. What they talked about mattered little to him. Just being with them brought the old man a real measure of happiness.

Sighing, he thought there was still some good in this old world.

“Gee, Thanks, Mister. You have taken care of everything for me and my mom. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Now, I can hardly wait.”

“Now what,” the old man thought and then asked the boy what he was talking about.

“Well, I will soon be driving, and I will use everything you taught me.”

This brought another sigh from the retired lawyer.

The boy went on to explain that the school had started classes for driver training. The first half-year class did not actually involve driving but taught the basic techniques and all the state’s requirements for beginning drivers. They would get behind the wheel right after the first of the year. Naturally, both boys signed up for the classes. They were confident that they would have no problems because they could ask the old man anything they needed to know.

When the driving classes began, it was scary. Especially when they realized they were in control of a three-thousand-pound monster. The first time he put his foot on the gas pedal and pressed, the car shot out from the curb. All control was lost. He took his foot from the gas and slammed it on the brake. The car lurched to a halt, and the boy shook, feeling a combination of shock and fear. The teacher smiled and told the boy to relax and take each step carefully and thoughtfully. Fortunately, they were in the driver training lot in the back of the school.

The twenty-minute class left the boy feeling slightly more confident, yet he knew he had much more to learn.