<p>On Columbus Day, we were coming home from a visit to a PA college when we struck a deer on Rt. 80 heading east. It was about 6:30 in the evening and our son was asleep in the back and I was “playing” with my portable GPS (which is how I know we were averaging between 60-65 mph.) The deer appeared in a blink of an eye - pretty much out of nowhere.</p>
<p>The hood popped open, cracked the windshield, and my husband braked - luckily we were in the right lane and were able to pull over onto the shoulder. After a couple of minutes, I gathered myself together and called 911. After about 10-15 gut-wrenching minutes with giant trucks whizzing by at 80 mph (or so it seemed) the state trooper showed up. I asked if we should call AAA and he (mistakenly) said we didn’t have to, the truck he called was AAA. That mistake caused some issues the next day when our tow truck went to pick up our car to bring it home.</p>
<p>Our car sustained a lot of damage and was not drivable. Obviously, they couldn’t take the car and leave us on the side of the road, so the officer asked the tow truck driver if he could take all three of us but it was not possible. The officer (reluctantly) took me and my son to a hotel where we met my husband, who was taken there by the tow truck driver. We were thankful that we were not hurt and grateful to have a place to spend the night. </p>
<p>About ten days later we received, by certified mail, 2 (two!!!) traffic citations. My husband was charged with reckless driving and speeding. We had our only child asleep in the back seat and he and I were having a quiet conversation - I don’t even remember what it was about but I remember giggling at something. He was in the right lane, doing the speed limit (or less) and traffic was whizzing past us in the left lane. It was not raining nor were there any issues that would have caused a driver to drive less than the speed limit. As a matter of fact, had we been driving at a lower speed limit, there would have been the very real possibility of a vehicle striking us from behind.</p>
<p>Without proof, how can these charges be justified?</p>
<p>This is literally adding insult to injury. Not only are we dealing with damage that puts the car out of commission for a month, but it was a nightmare trying to get home the next day. Unfortunately, we don’t carry credit cards and because of that were not able to lease a car, which lead to us having to spend several hundred dollars to get home the next day in addition to the costs of the overnight stay. But again, we are thankful that we were not hurt, that no other vehicles were involved and, although we regret the maiming/death of the deer, feel fortunate because it could have been so much worse.</p>
<p>Pennsylvania heads the national list of states with the most deer accidents. I hate to say this, but I can’t help but think that being out-of-state & 150 miles away makes us sitting ducks for their “cash cow” business. I wish I’d thought to call AAA first. I’ve learned my lesson.</p>
<p>I called 911 because, after such a traumatic accident, it was the first thing I thought of. I am of the belief that state troopers are there to help and protect the citizens of the United States, no matter what state they come from. To do the right thing, call 911 and to then be wrongly accused with charges that can’t be proven is an insult. I am literally beside myself at the injustice of these accusations. The idea that my husband was putting his only child, himself, his wife and others in danger by speeding and driving recklessly is preposterous. </p>
<p>My husband is pleading not guilty. The “not guilty” plea involves filling out the ticket and mailing in the whole fine so they can have that $ as collateral. He is due in court in mid-Dec.</p>
<p>A couple of hours ago, I decided to pull up my cell phone log so that I could print out the page to prove that we’d made the 911 call. Imagine my surprise to see that the 911 call was nowhere on the log. I called my cell company and they said that it should have been on the log. I checked my log, my son’s and my husband’s and - absolutely nothing!</p>
<p>I just googled how to obtain a record of the 911 call. Did a brief search and found out some preliminary info. Apparently, 911 calls are taken by a local dispatcher and the advice was to call the local police department to get the number to call and then get a court order or an attorney to submitt a request for a copy of the call.</p>
<p>My cynical self is already questioning that a record of my call has been kept. If the state police themselves have accused my husband falsely, wouldn’t they have covered their tracks by erasing all traces of my call? And how did the record on the cell phone log get erased???</p>
<p>I also found out that PA tickets an extremely high percentage of drivers involved in traffic accidents. Can it truly be possible that this is a much repeated aspect of their revenue producing activities? It is boggling my mind that this is possible.</p>
<p>I am saddened to say that my faith in the justice system has been severely shaken. </p>
<p>Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.</p>
Can anyone tell me if it can be done?</p>