Court Opinion

ID: 9709651
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 03:52:38.930719+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:50.709705
License: Public Domain

Gerrard, J.,
dissenting.
Although I join Justice Connolly’s dissent, I write separately to address one further point in the majority opinion. I disagree with the majority’s assertion that Veiman could not have violated the terms of Neb. Rev. Stat. § 39-6,104.02 (Reissue 1988), “until 12 hours passed without Veiman taking steps to notify the city that he had struck its power pole.”
By its plain and unambiguous language, § 39-6,104.02 requires a motorist to do three things when he or she is involved in a property damage accident: (1) immediately stop at the scene of the accident; (2) give his or her name, address, and registration number to the property owner; and (3) show his or her operator’s license to the owner of the property. Veiman theoretically complied with the first two provisions of § 39-6,104.02 when he left his Ford Bronco (with the registration certificate therein) unattended at the scene of the accident. However, Veiman did not show his operator’s license to the owner of the property, nor did he make any effort to contact the owner of the property to exhibit his operator’s license or identify himself in any manner prior to the time the police initiated contact at approximately 3:30 a.m. While the power pole may have been unattended at 2:30 a.m., it would not *888have been difficult for Veiman to immediately contact either a peace officer or a representative of the city of Omaha in order to report the collision of his Bronco with the power pole. To simply leave the scene of a property damage accident without immediately attempting to contact the property owner or a peace officer violates both the letter of the law and the public policy underlying the statute.
Once Veiman left the scene of the accident and failed to immediately report the collision or exhibit his operator’s license to the owner of the property, he was guilty of a misdemeanor. If Veiman had reported the accident, by telephone or otherwise, to the appropriate peace officer within 12 hours of the collision, he would have been guilty of a Class V misdemeanor. Whereas, if Veiman had not reported the collision within the first 12 hours, he would have been guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor.
While I may agree with the majority that § 39-6,104.02 was not a model of clarity as it existed on November 27, 1993, it was nonetheless the law at the time of Veiman’s collision. Officer Craig was not mistaken as to the terms of § 39-6,104.02, and I would have affirmed Veiman’s conviction for leaving the scene of a property damage accident.
Wright and Connolly, JJ., join in this dissent.