<p>I disagree about moose. They’re so tall that a car will probably hit their stilt-like legs rather than their body, knocking them off their feet, onto the hood, and then through the windshield. Moose weigh 700 - 1000+ lbs, so at that point you’re probably dead. Safer to swerve so that the side of the car without passengers (if no one is in the passenger side) is facing the moose, or at least in hopes that the frame of the car (instead of the windshield) will stop its bulk.</p>
<p>A cousin of mine hit (actually slid into) a moose. The moose landed on the roof of the car and ended up in the back seat. Amazingly, she was unhurt.</p>
<p>Still better to hit the moose than a semi head on. It is so counter intuitive to drive into an animal. I swerve for chipmunks. Squirrels are the worst - they wait by the side of the road and then play chicken. Even when you think you’ve missed one, they get to the middle of the road, turn and run at you again. Thank goodness they are not the size of moose.</p>
<p>I got hit by a semi that jack knived when some idiot man cut the semi off, it spun me around and hit me again. I was in my ancient Volvo station wagon. The car was smushed, the airbag was deployed. I didn’t get a scratch, my youngish son was OK and the lights still worked and the engine worked well enough that the highway patrol let me drive it 6 miles down the freeway to the next exit. I’ll never drive a different brand of car but a moose, no thanks. Don’t like deer either jumping out at me.</p>
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<p>LOL - where do you find that brand of car?</p>
<p>You were very fortunate - that is a terrifying story.</p>
<p>Also, I believe a deer vs car collision, even if you were both moving (very likely) is covered by comprehensive insurance, not collision. So a lower deductible may apply, and you may be covered even if you don’t have collision insurance.</p>
<p>Oh, dear! I definitely sympathize with you and would be quite indignant at getting a ticket under those circumstances.</p>
<p>My husband was driving an SUV pulling a small U-Haul trailer going the speed limit (about 65-70 mph) in the center lane of a three (six) lane highway in Connecticut two summers ago. Suddenly, he saw a huge deer bound across the opposite direction’s lanes, across the median, and directly in front of an SUV a few cars ahead of us. I first saw the deer as it was flying through the air (much like the cow in the Wizard of Oz) in a vertical position. At the time, we had no where to go as a huge tractor-trailer was on our right about even with the rear-passenger door panel and there were cars to our immediate left. Because of the U-Haul trailer, husband was not about to make sharp movements anyway. So, he managed to not even miss a beat, slow down or lose control. The deer hit our windshield on the passenger side, shattered and caved it in, took off the side mirror and dented the passenger door. I shut my eyes once I realized it was going to hit ‘me!’. Neither I nor husband (or the two teen-agers in the back seat) have any idea where the deer flew off to after hitting us.</p>
<p>My side of the windshield was completely shattered and I was sitting in a shower of tempered glass shards. Miraculously, the windshield was perfectly fine from the center line toward the driver’s side, so husband’s visibility was unaffected. There was no where to pull over with the traffic, so we just kept on truckin’.</p>
<p>I called our insurance company right then and there on a cell phone. (Hmmm didn’t think about calling the police). We actually live about four states away and weren’t due to be home for a couple days and were on a college visit trip. The insurance company made the arrangements for a windshield repair folks to meet us at the hotel we had booked for the night and they repaired the windshield right there. We’d had info/tour session appointments at the college, so we went there first—and saw the extent of the damage for the first time. Wow!!! I was still rather skittish. Not fun having tempered glass rain down on me any time I moved a muscle.</p>
<p>Your experience sounds much worse, so I can imagine how terrifying it really was. Definitely NOT something that warrants a traffic ticket–much less two! </p>
<p>Best wishes on a good outcome!</p>
<p>As someone who has had more than her fair share of tickets I see a lot of questions needed to be answered for the state to get your money (not to mention points on your husbands license). </p>
<p>First, how did they determine he was speeding? If they weren’t there prior to your accident they clearly didn’t use a radar gun or even “eyeball” your speed prior to the accident. Did they examine the tread marks from your braking? Did they estimate the weight of the deer combined with the damage to your car and look up some sort of formula for speed based on those two things? You see my point, how did they know you were speeding from a legal standpoint.</p>
<p>I do suggest you hire a local lawyer from wherever the ticket is issued. He/she should know how to handle this kind of ticket. I agree with those that said you were an easy revenue target, few people drive more than 1/2 hour to fight a ticket. You might even get interest on that security deposit you had to send. The cost of the attorney should pay for itself given that it’s not only the cost of the ticket but the increase in your insurance based on the points on your license. Believe me, an attorney can only help. </p>
<p>One last thing, December might not be the best time to run to Pennsylvania (weather) and an attorney might be able to postpone the hearing until March or April so you wouldn’t have to report it to your insurance company (they only want convictions) and a ticket stays for a certain number of years (I think, can’t quite remember how long) but the time is from the date the ticket was given, not the date of conviction. So it’s two different things. Could save you a little money that way also.</p>
<p>Okay, this is long enough. Good luck!</p>
<p>Unless someone with a great deal of knowledge about this area in PA can confirm that this is hicksville and there is a great conspiracy between cops and the traffic court there, I think I still disagree with the need for/advisability of a lawyer. The amount of research involved in trying to find a REPUTABLE lawyer in the area with this kind of experience (and the money that will need to be forked over) is just counterintuitive to my general feeling that the facts will prevail when an innocent person is hauled into traffic court and tells his story. There will be no points on insurance when the tickets are dismissed. The trooper issuing the ticket did not witness the violations the driver is accused of (and has zero evidence of either violation as has been pointed out) and I would bet anything will not appear in court to offer disputing evidence otherwise.</p>
<p>The police and the local government(s) are not that stupid. There is probably some statute or ordinance that allows them to issue the tickets. A good local defense attorney will be wise to that and to the ways to defeat the tickets.</p>
<p>The old “tell your story and the truth shall set you free” is very idealistic but very often invalid. I am an attorney, but I don’t deal with traffic offenses. My friends that do would tell you that the deck is stacked against the “offenders.” Spend some time and money and get good local representation.</p>
<p>A lot of the PA traffic courts are at district magistrate offices. I know many people have good results appearing before them and having tickets dropped, or points removed, fines lowered. I would try to research the location where he would be appearing in court before I proceeded with a lawyer.</p>