I have a new hatred for Ohio

ManglerYJ

ManglerYJ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Lexington, NC
I grew up in Michigan and always knew how tough Ohio law enforcement was on speeders, so I never would speed through Ohio. I had to take our family up to Michigan this past weekend to see my 86 year old dad who will be undergoing Carotid artery surgery in the next couple weeks. My son has only ever seen him once and he's already 4. The weather straight up sucked for the entire trip. We white-knuckled it through Ohio and Michigan (he lives north of Clare for anyone who knows Michigan geography).

We had a great visit with him and my other family and started heading home at 5 am Yesterday morning to try to beat the second wave of this storm. Everything we saw on radar indicated that if we can just get to the Ohio turnpike before 10:30, we should be golden for the rest of the trip, except rain. We were able to get to the turnpike and were rolling on some pretty cleared roads for a good while until we hit a patch of ice in the middle lane, spun three times and hit the guardrail backwards, taking out both taillights. The bulbs in the driver's side still work but the lens is gone. Once we got the kids calmed down (and said a quick prayer!), I was able to assess the damages and determine that the vehicle was still drivable, so we drove to the next highway plaza, 2 miles up so we wouldn't be a sitting duck. We decided to do the right thing and contact the State Troopers to get an accident report even though we don't have collision insurance.

After waiting for the Trooper to arrive, he had me sit in the back of his Charger while he worked up the paperwork. This took the better part of an HOUR. He then proceeds to issue me a TICKET. Really?!?!?! I get a ticket for failure to control my vehicle which is required to be taken care of by January 13th. He couldn't even tell me what the fine would be. I'm surprised he didn't give me a bill to touch up the paint on the guardrail! Perhaps it will come in the mail.

So anyway, I'm not upset at the weather, I'm not upset at the wreck because it could have been a LOT worse. Had we hit the guardrail with the front, the airbags would have deployed and the van wouldn't have been drivable. Had we hit on the side, we may not have been able to open the doors, or maybe it would have broken glass. Nobody was injured, so that was a blessing as well. It just seems like the ticket is adding insult to injury.

So we drive the rest of the way home after having lost an hour and a half with this mishap and get all the way to our exit before getting pulled over by a Davidson County Sheriff. When we explained that we were in the accident just this morning and we were just trying to get home, we showed him the ticket and even he was a little put off by the fact that they gave us a ticket!
 
I'm sure if you had an Ohio tag, he wouldn't have written you a ticket.
 
I'm not sure how calling the police in those situations is ever the "right" thing to do. Even in a multi-vehicle collision, it really depends on the circumstances.
 
I was born in Ohio and lived the first 38 years of my life there. If I remember correctly, the screwed up situation that ManglerYJ describes would be typical for the type of two-legged critter that wears an Ohio State Cop uniform. I can also remember a few that were as crooked as Boss Hogg and Rosco.
 
shawn said:
I'm not sure how calling the police in those situations is ever the "right" thing to do. Even in a multi-vehicle collision, it really depends on the circumstances.
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Blaze said:
I am still confused as to why you called the police. You are just asking for a ticket at that point if you ask me.
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"Technically" by not reporting it, we are leaving the scene of an accident. Even if nobody is injured and we can't file an insurance claim, an accident did occur. That was our thinking anyway. What we were figuring was that he would give us an incident report and that we could use that if we were pulled over later for "improper/unsafe equipment". Seeing as how we still had like 700+ miles to go, we figured we would surely get stopped, especially after dark. We stopped at three Highway Plazas, a gas station and even a Dollar General looking for the red tail light repair tape, but nobody had it, so we kept rolling. We just couldn't spend any more time trying to find the stuff on the road. I will now carry some with me on long trips "just in case".
 
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Not to be a dick and take the Troopers side,( I'm kind of biased) but I know here in NC there is an unwritten rule that any collision investigated by The highway patrol involves a ticket if a cause can be found. In this case exceeding a safe speed for conditions. In fact, I kind of got in a little trouble last year for not writing a ticket out of a snow wreck involving a car that hit some ice. So he was probably just covering his ass. And it is entirely possible that you will get a bill for the guardrail if there is any real damage to it. You would here.
 
Well, first and formost glad the accident worked out OK. A few years ago we were coming home through WV on I-68 in a torrential downpour and hit about 3" of water, hydroplaned, went off into shoulder, back on, spun into the guardrail on rear, spun again and landed facing traffic. Scary shit when that happens. We are sooo thankful that the next car behind us was a good distance back.
We didn't get a ticket, but it was a local cop that came. He said "oh yeah they didn't grade the road right here, every time it rains hard somebody hydroplanes and crashes there. Been like that for years."
o_O I asked him WTF they didn't fix the road? "Costs too much." Well if you add up the cost of just a few accidents that's well more than the bill to fix it! But of course, that's not the State paying the bill...
 
2010nctaco said:
Not to be a dick and take the Troopers side,( I'm kind of biased) but I know here in NC there is an unwritten rule that any collision investigated by The highway patrol involves a ticket if a cause can be found. In this case exceeding a safe speed for conditions. In fact, I kind of got in a little trouble last year for not writing a ticket out of a snow wreck involving a car that hit some ice. So he was probably just covering his ass. And it is entirely possible that you will get a bill for the guardrail if there is any real damage to it. You would here.
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No, I was kidding about the damages to the guardrail. It actually was a pretty soft hit by the time I hit it. I was actually driving 10 mph under the speed limit and was being passed by about as many cars as I was passing. Fortunately traffic was pretty light because as many times as I spun, I'd have been t-boned if not.
 
Hell, you should send Ohio a bill for the repairs since their fuggin roads were not up to snuff to allow your fully roadworthy automobile to retain friction with the Ohio highway. Tell them the car seems to stay on NC highways just fine :flipoff:.



It's just a revenue grab, no point in trying to make sense out of it. The states are all broke and getting more broke so we pay this way I guess. I'm from Michigan too, my guess is that's even worse in the category of needing and looking for alternative sources of revenue. Probably would have just lost more time but I would have liked to hear him suggest what IS a safe speed on ice? I've never found one, too slow and some idiot will drive over the top of you, too fast and WHAM!
 
benmack1 said:
Hell, you should send Ohio a bill for the repairs since their fuggin roads were not up to snuff to allow your fully roadworthy automobile to retain friction with the Ohio highway. Tell them the car seems to stay on NC highways just fine :flipoff:.



It's just a revenue grab, no point in trying to make sense out of it. The states are all broke and getting more broke so we pay this way I guess. I'm from Michigan too, my guess is that's even worse in the category of needing and looking for alternative sources of revenue. Probably would have just lost more time but I would have liked to hear him suggest what IS a safe speed on ice? I've never found one, too slow and some idiot will drive over the top of you, too fast and WHAM!
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I thought about that since I had just bought a brand new set of tires for the trip. The irony of it all is that my wife (born and raised in Lexington NC) kept saying that if we just make it to the turnpike the roads should be better because you have to pay to be on them. We dropped nearly $10 in tolls just to drive on roads that weren't much better than the rest of them. Actually the best maintained road we were on was 10 between Bay City and Clare, Michigan. It was bone dry by the time we got up there (8:30 at night). I would have figured the Interstates would have been better than they were.
 
So I pulled out the ticket to try to find out what the fine is and how to pay it and found the ordinance that I violated...

"No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or agricultural tractor that is towing, pulling, or otherwise drawing a unit of farm machinery on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic without being in reasonable control of the vehicle, trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or unit of farm machinery."

Notice the bolded word (I bolded it, they didn't)

The number that was given to the court just rings and rings, so I can't even find out what the fine is, but the form says that they don't take personal checks, just certified check or money order. I wouldn't care and just not pay it if it weren't for the fact that I really don't need a warrant out for my arrest should I need to go back to Michigan again (which is VERY likely - I used to go at least once a year). Our GPS messed up on the way up and sent us across I40 to I75 in Knoxville, which made for a MUCH longer trip, so that's OUT.
 
ManglerYJ said:
"No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or agricultural tractor that is towing, pulling, or otherwise drawing a unit of farm machinery on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic without being in reasonable control of the vehicle, trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or unit of farm machinery."
.
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This sounds to me like if you take a tractor out on the road by itself (no load) you can drive it like a complete notcase. No reasonable control needed...
Unless that clause beginning with "that is" is supposed to refer to all the previous items, in which case it don't apply to you at all...
 
Glad everyone was ok. Sucks you tried to do the right thing and got burned, but I'm guessing like someone else said he just had to cover his butt. Maybe next time just go on a out your way, no harm no foul. But hopefully there is no next time!


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ManglerYJ said:
So I pulled out the ticket to try to find out what the fine is and how to pay it and found the ordinance that I violated...

"No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or agricultural tractor that is towing, pulling, or otherwise drawing a unit of farm machinery on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic without being in reasonable control of the vehicle, trolley, streetcar, agricultural tractor, or unit of farm machinery."

Notice the bolded word (I bolded it, they didn't)

The number that was given to the court just rings and rings, so I can't even find out what the fine is, but the form says that they don't take personal checks, just certified check or money order. I wouldn't care and just not pay it if it weren't for the fact that I really don't need a warrant out for my arrest should I need to go back to Michigan again (which is VERY likely - I used to go at least once a year). Our GPS messed up on the way up and sent us across I40 to I75 in Knoxville, which made for a MUCH longer trip, so that's OUT.
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No one answers because it's shit weather up there now and they are all abiding by their law - can't maintain reasonable control of their cars, so they all took a snow day and stayed home today I guess :bounce: Also, good thing you weren't in a trackless trolley, that would have really fuct up that guardrail I bet!:driver:
 
benmack1 said:
No one answers because it's shit weather up there now and they are all abiding by their law - can't maintain reasonable control of their cars, so they all took a snow day and stayed home today I guess :bounce: Also, good thing you weren't in a trackless trolley, that would have really fuct up that guardrail I bet!:driver:
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True.... reasonable control would have meant staying home. I think the fact that I had driven over 1000 miles in this craptastic weather prior to the incident shows that I can maintain reasonable control of my vehicle, but I digress. If you've ever watched a Zamboni machine, even THEY will spin a tire every now and then. Top speed of one of those things is like 9 mph.
 
Cory said:
Damages have to be 1000$ or more to involve an accident report is what a state trooper told me

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That's true in NC if the collision involves personal injury or is over $1000 it requires a report. However, you can still request a report even if there is less than $1000 damage.
 
I hit a gard rail in nc one time cost me twise as much to fix as my car if it happens again I will just pull up a few feet lol
 
I have nothing to add but thought this was funny as hell...


ohioastronaut.jpg
 
RatLabGuy said:
This sounds to me like if you take a tractor out on the road by itself (no load) you can drive it like a complete notcase. No reasonable control needed...
Unless that clause beginning with "that is" is supposed to refer to all the previous items, in which case it don't apply to you at all...
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Thats how I read it too.
 
so, what the statute really says without saying is Chariot Races are open season. Let's get together and do BEN HUR on a round about! :beer:

:pAnd you guys are missing the "agricultural tractor" listed in the singular before all the hitched up towing diatrive (SP?)....
 
If nobody was injured, and my shit was drivable I would have hit the road and only stopped to pee or try to repair the lights as you tried, or if I was pulled over. However, my shit also ain't worth using insurance to repair it. I can't fathom how " reasonable " could be determined considering the weather conditions and the ticketing officer not witnessing the crash. I also would hope that the charges would be dropped if you went to court, but that would require a return trip back to Ohio.

I also wonder how the State would'nt be liable for a wreck occuring on the road Ratlabguy described that is apparently a well known problem. I assume they have signage warning of slippery road ahead ? and that might be enough to CYA, Y being the state. Most of the time I see ponding of water on the road is because the shoulder is creating a dam and needs to be cut back, unless ofcourse it's POURING rain and then any road can be a hydroplaning hazard.
 
Several years ago my then wife drove her car over a bank at church. It was pouring the rain so I waited till the next day to get it. I couldn't get it out so I called a wrecker. He in turn call the high way patrol. He wrote my wife a ticket for failure to report an accident even tho it was single car and nobody was hurt. I tried to explain the situation to no avail. Ended up costing her $150. Now I call the police regardless. Seems you lose either way.

I hate it for you, you do the right thing and they screw you over for it.
 
You could probably contact a lawyer local to the incident and have it taken care of without having to travel.

Sent while I should have been doing something constructive...
 
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