Law Humor

The Hero Gets A Ticket?

By John Mesirow

Colorado bus driver Jim Moffett is a hero, regardless of what the State Patrol thinks. As reported by the Rocky Mountain News: Two elderly women exited the bus and tried to walk across Federal to their trailer home on the east side, Moffett's stepson Ken McDonald said Tuesday. "With that light snowstorm, my stepdad didn't think they could cross the street safely," McDonald said. "So he got off the bus with another passenger, and they helped the ladies cross."
The four people had made it about halfway across Federal, and most of the northbound traffic had slowed to let them go the rest of the way, McDonald said. "But one pickup driver got impatient and passed in the left- hand turn lane," McDonald said. "He plowed right into my stepdad - but not before (my stepdad) pushed the old ladies and the other guy out of the way." Not only did Mr. Moffett prevent the elderly ladies [and a passenger who was helping out] from being injured or killed, he did so at his own expense. Moffett is at St. Anthony Central Medical Center with bleeding in the brain, broken bones in his face, a dislocated shoulder, a broken wrist and possible ruptured spleen and liver. For his trouble, Moffett got a jaywalking ticket! Ryan Sullivan, of the State Patrol, said that while Moffett's "intentions were good," jaywalking caused the accident. Think maybe those "good intentions" would cancel out the jaywalking ticket? Discretion? Compassion? Anyone? Bueller?

Full post as published by Legal Juice on February 28, 2009 (boomark / email).