Can I be charged for the repair of a street sign 6 months after I hit it if the courts cleared me of all charges?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can I be charged for the repair of a street sign 6 months after I hit it if the courts cleared me of all charges?
About 6 months ago, I hit a street sign when my power steering went out and I couldn’t control my car. I was given a ticket and went to court. I paid the ticket and nothing was put on my record. Today, I received a bill saying I had to pay about $500 to replace the street sign. Can the road commission do this?
Asked on May 3, 2012 under Accident Law, Michigan
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Don't confuse the criminal (including tickets and other violations) and civil legal systems--you can be cleared of any criminal charges, but still be held accountable to pay for the damage you did. Regardless of what happened with the summons and your ticket, the road commission can look to you to pay for the damage to the sign. You are not liable simply because you hit it--you would be liable, or financially obligated to pay, if you were at fault in hitting it. You would be at fault if you hit it deliberately, or--much more commonly--if you were driving negligently, or carelessly (e.g. texting or talking on cell phone; driving too fast; ignored a stop sign or light; etc.). If you do not feel you were at fault, you can refuse to pay; the commission would then have to sue you to force you to pay, and you could defend yourself by presenting evidence that you were not at fault.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.