How Traffic Tickets Affect Personal Injury Claims?

A traffic ticket in and of itself is only an allegation that you did not obey traffic laws or rules of the road. If you plead guilty on the charges, then your plea can serve as proof of a violation. Moreover, if the traffic violation results in a car accident, the ticket and the plea can have a bigger impact on proving liability and collecting damages from you and your insurance carrier.

This is why it is important to hire an experienced New Jersey traffic ticket attorney to fight any traffic violation. Avoiding a guilty plea on the traffic violation can ultimately avoid filling in the gaps in proving liability in the car accident claim against you.

Are Traffic Tickets Admissible as Evidence in Car Accident Lawsuits?

If the individual who was issued a traffic ticket pleads guilty to the charges following a traffic violation trial, the charges will be relevant to the accident. A court would most likely allow the other injured party to introduce the guilty plea in a subsequent car accident lawsuit to prove damages. However, the charges must relate to the accident in order for the plea to be admissible. In other words, if the ticket was for driving with an expired license, then the guilty plea would most likely not be admissible.

Are Traffic Citations Absolute Proof of Liability in a Car Accident Lawsuit?

To secure monetary damages for injuries and losses suffered in a car accident, the injured party must prove that the other party:

Owed a certain duty to the injured party
Breached that duty
The breach of duty directly and proximately caused the accident
The accident was the source of injuries and losses

What Happens If There is a Finding of No Guilt on the Traffic Charges?

Just because there is a finding of no guilt on the traffic ticket, it does not mean that the driver who got the ticket cannot be found liable for damages in a subsequent lawsuit resulting from the car accident. Criminal trials follow stricter liability standards than civil claims, including those involving car accidents. A driver can still be found liable for injuries and property damages and be ordered to pay monetary damages even if the traffic ticket is dismissed.

Contact Us Today!

If you have been arrested for drunk driving, you should discuss your case, including any potential meritorious motions to suppress, with an experienced New Jersey DWI attorney. For more information or to schedule a free consultation with one of our skilled attorneys, please call Beninato & Matrafajlo Attorneys at Law, LLC at 908-355-7100.

Dan T. Matrafajlo

NJ State Bar: #031722003

Dan T. Matrafajlo, Esq., is the managing member and lead partner at Beninato and Matrafajlo, Attorneys at Law, LLC. Renowned for groundbreaking contributions to personal injury law, he has set legal precedents with influential Appellate decisions and garnered recognition in the New Jersey Law Journal. A consistent honoree on Super Lawyers’ Rising Star list for the past five years, Matrafajlo’s litigation prowess is widely acknowledged. He has won various awards like Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters Association 2019, and Nominated into Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2012 until the Present.

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