Many traffic collisions result in a police officer issuing a ticket to the party who they deem to be at fault. However, these drivers have the legal right to contest these tickets in traffic court. The outcome of these cases could substantially affect a person’s claim for damages.
A conviction in traffic court, or an admission of guilt, is direct evidence of fault for a crash. Civil courts will use a traffic offense conviction as evidence of per se negligence and presume a defendant liable for an accident. A Portsmouth, VA, attorney can leverage a traffic ticket as evidence in a civil car wreck claim for damages.