Brother crashed into a fire hydrant

Kyougu

So this morning I got the news that my younger brother (20) got into a wreck last night.

The way he tells me, is that he was coming home from a party, his right tire popped, and he lost control. Ended jumping the curb and slamming into a fire hydrant. Cops were in the scene, but he only got a ticket for not having his license on him. No wreckless driving, no dwi(They did the test).

He has court in a month. What can he expect? Can he be fined further? I'm imagining they'll make him pay for damages, any one know how they make you pay for that? Family is strapped for cash, so I doubt we could pay it all of at once. More importantly, should he get an attorney?

Improvolone

If the only charge is not having his license on him, then don't worry about the attorney. An attorney is great for getting fines reduced and charges dropped, but can't do much when the judge says "to fix the hydrant its $800".

Pheezer

An attorney isn't going to be able to do anything special about him not having his license physically with him. He can say it's his first time driving without and he'll never do it again and maybe he'll get lucky but that's really going to be up to the judge there.

With the busted hydrant, I don't know how insurance works for you but would that not be covered? Failing insurance coverage, lots of places will allow you to make payment arrangements, often without even paying interest, if there's a legitimate need. They'd rather you pay over the next year than not pay at all, and if they have to jail you for non-payment, then they're only spending more money.

Make sure he wears a button up shirt tucked in and shaves that morning. Not much else to do, I don't think.

Szechuanosaurus

Yeah, I wouldve thought the costs would be covered even with basic insurance (third party, might be called something else where you are). There'd be whatever the excess is to pay but then beyond that the insurance company would pick up the cost for whatever damages occured to other people's/state property etc.

If he is uninsured then there could be...further complications. Driving without insurance is usually illegal.

Pheezer

The ticket was for "not having his license on him". I took that to imply that a license exists and was simply not present.

Szechuanosaurus

License and insurance are different things usually.

Dhalphir

Also depends where this is.

I know in Australia you don't have to have third party property insurance, and third party injury insurance comes with your driver's license.

Pheezer

Szechuanosaurus wrote: »

License and insurance are different things usually.

Right, sorry. I is dum.

OP is in Plano, so I'm guessing this all happened in TX until we're provided better details.

Kyougu

Yeah, happened in El Paso, Texas. And turns out it's not a fire hydrant, it's a "water tower". Not exactly clear on what that is, but the cop said it would probably be 2k-3k in damages.

My brother does have insurance, but it's the mininum one. Just the one that covers if you're not at fault. I'll have him call and check if it covers property damage.

adytum

You should check on the law there. Where I live not having your license on you (assuming you are licensed) is at best a "fix it" ticket that will be dismissed when you show up in court and present your license.

When I got pulled over and didn't have my license on me, the cop just looked me up in his car computer, where he had access to all my license information anyway.

Ruckus

Damage to structures and infrastructure is usually covered by the "Liability" part of your insurance, which is optional in some jurisdictions. I myself recommend never going without, as it usually only adds a small amount per year to your total insurance.

Example: You are at fault for an accident that damages a railway line, and that line is closed for three days while the rail company repairs it. Depending on the line you wrecked, it could cost over $1,000,000 per day for that route to be closed, which you are liable for.

I carry $5,000,000 liability insurance on my car.

Pheezer

Yeah but ruckus aren't you Canadian? Insurance is cheaper in Canada. My third party liability costs me next to nothing for $5 million. Mostly cuz sometimes I roadtrip into the states and if there's an accident where someone is injured, there's that lawsuit angle.

Thanatos

Usually, the only insurance that's optional is the liability that covers you. Liability that covers the other person when you're in an at-fault accident is generally mandatory, though I don't know about Texas.

DrZiplock

Kyougu wrote: »

Yeah, happened in El Paso, Texas. And turns out it's not a fire hydrant, it's a "water tower". Not exactly clear on what that is, but the cop said it would probably be 2k-3k in damages.

My brother does have insurance, but it's the mininum one. Just the one that covers if you're not at fault. I'll have him call and check if it covers property damage.

Your last statement doesn't make much sense.

If he has the minimum insurance, then he very likely has liability insurance. It just means that if he screws up, it's covered. This, most certainly, counts as a screw up.

Still, worth a phone call to find out how property damage works in this case. It'll likely end up that his insurance may cover it, but he'll have to pay the deductible.

And to echo what's been said further: no point in an attorney for this one. The cop that dealt with your brother was being really rather generous by just giving him ticket for not having his license on him.

Tejs

The hydrant and license ticket will be separate issues. More than likely, what will happen will be that the city of El Paso sues him for the damages to the hydrant - your auto insurance will take care of this, minus your deductible. The license ticket will need to be dealt with like a speeding ticket.

Edit: My experience is from hitting a traffic pole after losing control of my vehicle. The city of dallas sued me to replace the traffic light.

Djeet

I'd think this would be covered under the Property Damage portion of your insurance. He should probably call his insurance company and let them know he hit city property and what he's covered up to. I think some level of property damage protection should be included even in liability-only insurance.

Orestus

Per a quick google search, the statutory minimum property damage insurance amount in Texas is $25,000, so if your brother/family (whoever owns the car essentially) has insurance, then the insurance company should pay up to that amount, if he was at fault for the accident (which in this case he clearly is).

If he has not yet reported this to insurance company, he absolutely should do so immediately. The insurance company will contact the city or more likely just wait for the city to contact your brother. Upon being contacted your brother should provide the city w/ the name and contact info for his insurance company and then tell the insurance company...he is paying for the insurance company to handle this for him.

I don't think hitting the city property will come up in the court appearance but your brother should bring proof of insurance with him to court just in case.

WildEEP

This will be covered by insurance. This is considered property damage.
He probably hit a water tower leg - water towers are the large structures with dome like structures at the top that store and distribute water. It is often times supported by several metal legs that run to the base of the tower.
They'll repair or replace the leg, hence the 2-3K in damages.
Call the insurance company immeadiately so that they can get pictures and info from everyone involved.
The court date isnt for the property damage, its for him not having his ID - and usually you can just plead guilty by mail and send in the payment automatically. The only reason to go to court is if he's trying to fight it, which often times will result in him being verbally bitch slapped by a judge and handed the same fine.
Texas isnt a state where they say, "bring in your ID to prove you have it, and we take it off" - they say either have it on you when you get stopped, or be raped by a fine.

The traffic court ticket thing will not have anything to do with the actual damage to the water tower. Tell your brother to pay his stupid traffic ticket.

Ruckus

Pheezer wrote: »

Yeah but ruckus aren't you Canadian? Insurance is cheaper in Canada. My third party liability costs me next to nothing for $5 million. Mostly cuz sometimes I roadtrip into the states and if there's an accident where someone is injured, there's that lawsuit angle.

I'm pretty sure we're both MPI's bitch, Pheez.

CasedOut

When I was 16 I let a girl drive my car and she slammed it right into a fire hydrant. I amazingly didn't get into any trouble whatsoever (from the law that is, from my parents thats another thing entirely). The insurance paid for everything as well.

EggyToast

The funny thing is that the damages from hitting a "water tower" are significantly less than hitting another car. This should be handled by insurance, and if the city moves to recoup the cost of fixing their property your bro should direct them to his insurance company.

The Crowing One

Pheezer wrote: »

An attorney isn't going to be able to do anything special about him not having his license physically with him. He can say it's his first time driving without and he'll never do it again and maybe he'll get lucky but that's really going to be up to the judge there.

I'm not certain of this, and it may be a US state-by-state thing, but I have always been under the impression that if you get stopped and don't have your licence on you, you have something like 24 hours to get to the local PD and produce it for them.

Of course, it being Canada pretty much renders anything I say pretty suspect.

Lionhart617

Kyougu wrote: »

Yeah, happened in El Paso, Texas. And turns out it's not a fire hydrant, it's a "water tower". Not exactly clear on what that is, but the cop said it would probably be 2k-3k in damages.

My brother does have insurance, but it's the mininum one. Just the one that covers if you're not at fault. I'll have him call and check if it covers property damage.

I live in El Paso Lol.