Help! Hit a person on a bike. What to expect!!

[gedwyn]

Hi. I live in FL and was making a right on red at night when all of a sudded a person on a bike
appeared in front of me and I hit him. I called EMS and the police which came and took him to the hospital. The officer was pretty cool about it since the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road to begin with but still charged me with failure to yield the right of way since it is the law in FL.

My question is this. I have since paid the 120.00 ticket which at the time did not require a court appearance. Yesterday I got a letter from the courthouse saying that I had to appear in court regarding this because of the severity of the injuries. I beleive the man suffered a broken leg. At the time of the ticket the officer told me that I did not have to go to court so why this letter all of a sudden??? Why am I being asked to appear before a judge? Do I need legal council?

FYI I am fully insured with no damage done to my car at all.

Thanks in advance,
Paul

 

[lwpat]

You may have made a mistake when you paid the ticket. I have no idea why they are asking you to appear. Call the clerk of court and find out. It may be in your best interest to have an attorney try to rescind your guilty plea and ask for a trial.

 

[gedwyn]

I just called the clerk of court and she told me the reason I have to go before the judge now is because it involved a level 4 injury whatever that means. Not sure what or how many levels of injury there are.
What do I expect? Jail time? Higher fine of which I paid $120.00 so far?
Community service? Driving school?

I have a co-worker who is married to a lawyer so I am probably going to consult him.

Opinions?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[seniorjudge]

I just called the clerk of court and she told me the reason I have to go before the judge now is because it involved a level 4 injury whatever that means. Not sure what or how many levels of injury there are.
What do I expect? Jail time? Higher fine of which I paid $120.00 so far?
Community service? Driving school?

I have a co-worker who is married to a lawyer so I am probably going to consult him.

Opinions?

Thanks,
Paul

No probably.

You need to hire a lawyer.

When you do something that injures another person, it is time for a lawyer.

 

[Duranie]

So I am assuming the bike rider was not in a crosswalk?

You should go ahead and notify your insursance company of the accident. They will probably hire an attorney on your behalf.

If the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road, he could have been ticketed as well. It is possible he may be held accountable for some of it.

 

[gedwyn]

Yes, I did contact my insurance company already and they are in contact with his representation. My friends husband who is an attorney told me the following:

1) He was on the wrong side of the road so he is somewhat at fault.
2) No reflectors or lights on his bike as well and yes he was in the crosswalk but he should have been walking the bike as well instead of riding it.
3) The court should not have and can not legally send me a letter saying I need to go to court after accepting my payment and ticket which was admission of my guilt so he is working on this as well.

I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. If anyone else wants to weigh in please do.

Thanks again in advance.
Paul