Sad day indeed....wrecked the truck.

[texanidiot25]

I'm not quite sure I understand why you were ticketed when the driver came into your lane.

[1970 Bowtie]

Take as many pictures as you can from every angle you can think of.Glad to hear you got your truck back.

[Longhorn Man]

I wish you luck man... being that it sounds like you have more than just liability, I would call your ins and get them in on this. You pay them to cover you, and they have lawyers and stuff.

[68C15]

so where was the other guy going that he came across 2 or 3 lanes and in front of you?

not to sound morbid but can you post pics of the site with both vehicles in place?

[Beatcoaster]

Good luck contesting that ticket, if you need help in court give Jeannie Mucklestone a call, she is great, and well worth the cash you will save down the road if this goes on your record and your car insurance rates rise!

http://www.mucklestone.com/

[Beatcoaster]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

I'm not quite sure I understand why you were ticketed when the driver came into your lane.

Because he was technically in a bus lane, which then turns into a right hand turn lane(and buses love to come flying up on your ass in)...I am familiar with the area he is describing and can easily see why the Seattle PD ticketed him cause he was technically violating the lane restriction. It's a total BS ticket because anyone in their right mind would do the same thing instead of waiting in traffic and it's not his fault that highway 99 is a garbage road with people darting in front of traffic on a constant basis. The cops have to ticket someone and it's a joke, but it's what they do to make money and keep us tax payers milked for every last cent!!

Get your insurance to reimburse your impound fees if you can and be sure to get a lawyer to help you fight against the state in this case, cause traffic judges are brutal in KCDC...

[c10crazy]

Originally Posted by COBALT

There's a sign posted clear as day that says "BUS LANE ONLY - Except Right Turn Permitted". That's what I was doing. The lines painted on the street go to dashes right before the sign. Since it goes uphill it looks like if you want to turn at 130th you can enter that lane where the sign is posted.

Take a tape measure with you to that spot and take a pic of you holding the tape from where the dashed lines begin to where the sign is to show the judge the exact distance! Sorry to hear about the accident. I hope it all works out for you.

[ChevLoRay]

It's a shame that it's all about the insurance companies bottom line that gives us the headaches.

My younger brother was driving an S-10 on a state highway in the rain when a Coca-Cola tractor pulling a single-axle delivery trailer pulled out into his lane while making a tight right turn that left him with no option but to pull into the on-coming lane. That didn't become the issue when my brother decided not the hit the tractor head-on. At that time, he hit the brakes and then he ended up with the drivers side of his truck parallel to the front bumper of the Coca Cola tractor. Sounds like he was in the right and was thinking, right? Wrong. Bro got a ticket for "Failure to maintain control". Coca Cola was off the hook, even though they were in the wrong lane and caused his reaction.


Kinda makes you WANT to lose control every now and then....

[yote1234]

glad no one hurt... now. time for a frame off.....

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by Beatcoaster

Because he was technically in a bus lane, which then turns into a right hand turn lane(and buses love to come flying up on your ass in)...I am familiar with the area he is describing and can easily see why the Seattle PD ticketed him cause he was technically violating the lane restriction. It's a total BS ticket because anyone in their right mind would do the same thing instead of waiting in traffic and it's not his fault that highway 99 is a garbage road with people darting in front of traffic on a constant basis. The cops have to ticket someone and it's a joke, but it's what they do to make money and keep us tax payers milked for every last cent!!

The sign clearly states cars making right turns are an exception. It doesn't say where. The fact is that it looks like where I entered the lane (where the white line breaks into dashes) is where you would merge right to turn right. The only visible intersection is 130th - where I was planning on turning. I was exiting the flow of traffic to turn right.

Here are some pics:


This is right after it happened. I entered the right lane back where the dashes start.


This is their car. As you can see I nailed their front passenger wheel. I didn't have time to hardly stop - they were in front of me that fast.


This is my primary evidence I'll use to contest the citation. That sign to the right in the photo (to my dad's left - he's standing just right of the sign) says Bus Lane Only EXCEPT for right turns, which is permitted. This is the view of the lane I had when I merged right to leave the flow of traffic. I was planning on turning right at 130th (the stop light at the top of the hill.

The rest of these are taken the next day going to the tow yard to get the truck, loading it up, and hauling it away. I was able to get the hood off and then realized that the fan wasn't hung up. I was able to start it and drive it onto the trailer without any troubles at all once we pried away the bumper and the fender to release the front wheel.

[BB72CHEVKT]

time for a 67-68 clip

[purewhitemp5]

Dosent the sign say ( on the pole next to the fire hydrant ) Right turn "MUST" turn right, with visible breaks in the line indicating an intersection at that point ( where the red SUV is and where your truck was hit ). You may have avoided a ticket if you stated to the LEO that you where turning at that intersection instead of the intersection after that. However the Asian woman should have seen your truck coming and yielded the right of way (Thats the law in my home state)

[c10crazy]

Since the cop said you were in the lane too early and the pic shows 128th street, couldn't you say you were turning on 128th?. The judge will question why you made your move (I'm guessing here) 2 blocks early. It's clear she took your right of way!

[texanidiot25]

Not -too- bad, but if I were in your shoes I'd still flip sheet over the damage.

Looks like the sheet metal got pulled hard, but the bumper looks mostly level, so hopes that the frame is A-OK

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by c10crazy

Since the cop said you were in the lane too early and the pic shows 128th street, couldn't you say you were turning on 128th?. The judge will question why you made your move (I'm guessing here) 2 blocks early. It's clear she took your right of way!

To be honest I thought the cutout was for 130th. I thought the MUST TURN RIGHT sign was for 130th. It doesn't say what street it's for anyway! Frankly I don't think it matters. People have to turn into these businesses along the street as well. Regardless of whether I was in that lane "too early" or not to turn right she failed to yield to oncoming traffic.

I believe based on how the signs are posted that one could argue that this can be interpreted as the beginning of the turn for 130th.

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

...if I were in your shoes I'd still flip sheet over the damage...

I don't know what you mean here.

[68C15]

from those pics I think you need a GOOD lawyer and go after the city for allowing so many sings. even sitting at home and having unlimited time to survey the layout I have trouble decyphering what is legal and what is not.

[68C15]

Originally Posted by COBALT

I don't know what you mean here.

have trouble sleeping.

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by COBALT

I don't know what you mean here.

Sheet = Shhhh... It.

Even though it may just be sheet metal damage, I'd still be in panic mode seeing it twisted like that upon getting out of the truck.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Looks like your truck got it worse than the car

Hate to say it... but it looks to me like you're going to need the left frame rail straightened?

Best of luck in court. Right turn or not, you had the right of way no matter what. There was no stop sign or light, no excuses. Stupid is as stupid does.

[COBALT]

Here's a top-down pic of the frame rail:



I think it's ok, but I'm worried about it being bent up from the bottom. It looks like from the bumper I hit their wheel just to the left of the rail itself. The fact that it was the front of the car and the rubber of the wheel most likely absorbed some of the impact.

[67ChevyRedneck]

It doesn't take much for them to get "tweaked." I'd still take it to a good frame shop just in case and get an estimate so you get $ for that too!

[COBALT]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

It doesn't take much for them to get "tweaked." I'd still take it to a good frame shop just in case and get an estimate so you get $ for that too!

At that point the other ins. company would push to total the vehicle I think. The key here is to ask for $ for repairs but not ask for so much based on an estimate it's a throw-away decision for them.

Weird - I still haven't heard back from anyone.

[long69]

to me it looks like there are a hundred places to turn right....meaning any one of those businesses along the street there. whose to say you were not going to turn into one of those. after all maybe you needed to check you load in back.

[68C15]

5 years ago my truck got hit HARD in the RF. it pushed the frame over 2" just ahead of the X member. the local vo-tech was getting ready to do a session on frame repair and they fixed it for $25 (shop fee).