In a lot of trouble

[DarkHippie]

Yesterday I hit a pedestrian with a wheelchair van.

That isn't the trouble. it's what came after it. Like the law abiding person I am, I called the police, and even tracked down on foot the woman that I hit (she was uninjured, so she walked away. I had clipped her in the shoulder with the giant mirror that hangs off the side of the van. i was making a tight right turn and she was standing on the corner).

When the police come to investigate, they find that I had a suspended license. This is news to me, as I hadn't gotten a ticket in years, and I was never notified of the fine or the state of my license [I have moved a few times the last few years and have not been updating my address as I should (another violation)]

Anyway, the cop put me in the back of his car and took all my information. I have one misdememor driving with a suspended license, and two violations for making an unsafe turn and not updating the info on my drivers license.

This is why its a problem:

My job is completely dependent on my ability to drive. One of my primary duties is to be able to drive my students around the community. I am currently suspended without pay from my job until my court date on the 8th. If I am not allowed to get my license back at the court date, I am fired outright. i may be fired anyway for working with a suspended license.

I have to write a letter to the big bosses explaining the situation and as my manager said 'plead for your job' (she can say that cause she is a friend).

Oh, and I also can't drive anywhere. I can't even go to the store for groceries. Things are sucking pretty hard right about now

[Doctor Z]

Ya see? You try to do the right thing, and this is what happens.

Life is gay.

[JPMNICK]

Yesterday I hit a pedestrian with a wheelchair van.

That isn't the trouble. it's what came after it. Like the law abiding person I am, I called the police, and even tracked down on foot the woman that I hit (she was uninjured, so she walked away. I had clipped her in the shoulder with the giant mirror that hangs off the side of the van. i was making a tight right turn and she was standing on the corner).

When the police come to investigate, they find that I had a suspended license. This is news to me, as I hadn't gotten a ticket in years, and I was never notified of the fine or the state of my license [I have moved a few times the last few years and have not been updating my address as I should (another violation)]

Anyway, the cop put me in the back of his car and took all my information. I have one misdememor driving with a suspended license, and two violations for making an unsafe turn and not updating the info on my drivers license.

This is why its a problem:

My job is completely dependent on my ability to drive. One of my primary duties is to be able to drive my students around the community. I am currently suspended without pay from my job until my court date on the 8th. If I am not allowed to get my license back at the court date, I am fired outright. i may be fired anyway for working with a suspended license.

I have to write a letter to the big bosses explaining the situation and as my manager said 'plead for your job' (she can say that cause she is a friend).

Oh, and I also can't drive anywhere. I can't even go to the store for groceries. Things are sucking pretty hard right about now

make sure to talk to the prosecuter when you are there and explain how you need your car for work and you work with special needs children. I am sure you will be able to keep your license and just pay a fine. if you have money to spend, i would suggest getting a lawyer that knows the local prosecuters so they can go in the little room and work it out like men

[King Hippos Bandaid]

damn , that sucks

I guess its Resume Time, you seem intelligent enough to find something new

Id write them a letter explaining that You had no clue that you had a Suspended License and would have Quit or asked for non driving position if you knew.

Then Apologize and tell them that you understand if they fire you, but you meant no deception and that you enjoyed working for them. I wouldn't plead for the Job, they will never regain trust and you probably need them as a reference.

:king:

[Death Metal Moe]

Ya see? You try to do the right thing, and this is what happens.

Life is gay.

Couldn't have put it better myself. I suffer from being overly honest from time to time and all it gets me is bullshit.

I really have no advice for you Darkhippie, just hope it works out for you as quickly and painlessly as possible.

[PapaBear]

Have you found out why it was suspended in the first place? I once got a letter in the mail that said my license was being suspended for not paying a ticket. Turns out, an old friend of mine gave my ssn to a cop when he got pulled over for speeding. He didn't pay the ticket, and my license got suspended.

Like Hippo said, talk to the prosecutor, but do it NOW. You might be able to get a restricted license that will allow you to drive at work.

[Justice4all]

ok here is what you need to do.

first off find out WHY the license was suspended and go whatever municipality/town/city court and pay whatever fine you need to.

Then contact NY DMV and pay the restoration fee. Like NOW. (odds are it will be like 100.00)
Get your license in working order. It should take no more then two days.

When you get the problem fixed and get called into court bring all of the paperwork showing you fixed the problem immediately. The judge will most likely be impressed with how fast you worked to rectify the situation and be very lienient and recognize what happened was an honest mistake on your part.

And it will also show your bosses that what happened was a misunderstanding on your part and you worked like hell to fix it.

A very similar situation happened to me, so I know what to do.
And if you meet up with the officer before the court appearence and show him the fixed license and paperwork to prove it he might drop a few of those charges also.
It is worth a shot.

PM me if you need any help with anything.

Good luck DH

[mdr55]

How is he supposed to get around if he doesn't drive???? If he gets stopped while doing all those things to put things in order, wouldn't he be in more trouble?

[PapaBear]

How is he supposed to get around if he doesn't drive???? If he gets stopped while doing all those things to put things in order, wouldn't he be in more trouble?
Cab, bus, friends...

[Freitag]

The crux of this problem is the suspended license and why it was suspended. It could be a paperwork snafu. It could be identity theft. It's a bunch of possibilites.

Once you've deduced that, then you can work on the problem of the suspension issue.

If your job fires you for the suspended license and it's not your fault, that's a wrongful termination suit right there.

[Recyclerz]

ok here is what you need to do.

first off find out WHY the license was suspended and go whatever municipality/town/city court and pay whatever fine you need to.

Then contact NY DMV and pay the restoration fee. Like NOW. (odds are it will be like 100.00)
Get your license in working order. It should take no more then two days.

When you get the problem fixed and get called into court bring all of the paperwork showing you fixed the problem immediately. The judge will most likely be impressed with how fast you worked to rectify the situation and be very lienient and recognize what happened was an honest mistake on your part.

And it will also show your bosses that what happened was a misunderstanding on your part and you worked like hell to fix it.

A very similar situation happened to me, so I know what to do.
And if you meet up with the officer before the court appearence and show him the fixed license and paperwork to prove it he might drop a few of those charges also.
It is worth a shot.

PM me if you need any help with anything.

Good luck DH

I agree with most of what Justice is saying but you may want to talk to a lawyer before you talk to the cops. I think clipping somebody raises the ante quite a bit even if she seems to be OK now (hopefully she is and doesn't come down with "plaintiff-itis" in a few days).

You'd think the DMV would make sure you know you have a suspended license (certified mail or something) but in NY at least, you'd be wrong.

Good luck budday, & let us know if we can help.

[Hottub]

The crux of this problem is the suspended license and why it was suspended. It could be a paperwork snafu. It could be identity theft. It's a bunch of possibilites.

Once you've deduced that, then you can work on the problem of the suspension issue.

If your job fires you for the suspended license and it's not your fault, that's a wrongful termination suit right there.


Are you 100% sure about that? Even if it is not Hippie's fault (which I hope it isn't) He cannot properly perform his duties without a valid license. And if court gets adjourned, or postponed, how long are they supposed to wait?

Anyway, I think justice had some great advise. I guess you could start by making phone calls right away, then call in a favor and try to get a ride to DMV.

Best of luck.

[mdr55]

Isn't NJ one of the states that can fire you without just cause or no explaination. Something like that. They don't have to explain to you why you got fired.

[angrymissy]

Isn't NJ one of the states that can fire you without just cause or no explaination. Something like that. They don't have to explain to you why you got fired.

http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/laborlaws/l/aa102300_2.htm

There are only very specific situations in which you can sue for wrongful termination (age, race, sex, etc.) All states except for I think 1, have "at-will" employment, which means they can fire you because they don't like your haircut.

On an sort of unrelated note, once I got hired for a job when I was 20. The CFO flipped because she was not involved in the interview process and called me in for an interview after I already signed the paperwork. She flat out asked me how old I was and said I was too young for the job.

I got a call the next day from the employment agency that sent me on the interview saying there would be a $10k check waiting for me from the company if I didn't make a fuss.

Now that I think about it, I probably could have sued for a shitload since they were so willing to give me that $10k.

[DarkHippie]

Ok, I paid the original fine today and got a receipt from the clerk. Then I went to the DMV and got my address updated (which is why I probably didnt get the stuff in the mail). Neither of them said anything about a restoration fee. I will call the dmv tomorrow and ask about it.

[Hottub]

I'm glad you are moving quickly on this.

Good luck!

[Bulldogcakes]

Ya see? You try to do the right thing, and this is what happens.

Life is gay.

Only when you're dealing with the legal system.

Never, never ever tell the truth to anyone wearing a badge or a robe. Ever. Even if you think you're right, or have a really good explanation. Never. Its not in your interest to do so. Keep your mouth shut and hire a lawyer immediately if you need one.

In dealing with human beings, you should be honest. But there are no human beings in the legal system. Just creatures from another planet who live in another world than the rest of us do.

Never.






Ever.





I mean it. Never.

[Bulldogcakes]

Oh, and I also can't drive anywhere. I can't even go to the store for groceries. Things are sucking pretty hard right about now

BTW-In New York, if your license is suspended you can apply for a "Restricted License", which allows you to drive to and from work, and do basic errands or use a car for emergencies.
If you get pulled over, just don't get caught coming home from a bar at 2 in the morning and you'll be fine with it.

Don't ask me why I know this, it'll just piss me off.

[angrymissy]

Ok, I paid the original fine today and got a receipt from the clerk. Then I went to the DMV and got my address updated (which is why I probably didnt get the stuff in the mail). Neither of them said anything about a restoration fee. I will call the dmv tomorrow and ask about it.

I believe you have to have the DMV send a letter to their HQ up in Albany. They may have just done it for you already

[Doogie]

Anyway, the cop put me in the back of his car and took all my information. I have one misdememor driving with a suspended license, and two violations for making an unsafe turn and not updating the info on my drivers license.


I need to get something straight. You had previously had a suspended license and got a ticket for driving with that suspended?? I ask cause if that was the case then you obviously paid a fine, etc. What you need is the proof that you paid that and the whole thing should get cleared up. If this is the case then it is a clerical error and I would just go through all those channels, frustrating as they might be, and get it straightend out. It should not be a big whoop.

[Justice4all]

Ok, I paid the original fine today and got a receipt from the clerk. Then I went to the DMV and got my address updated (which is why I probably didnt get the stuff in the mail). Neither of them said anything about a restoration fee. I will call the dmv tomorrow and ask about it.

The question is did you ASK them at the DMV if your license was re-activated or if there were any fees involved? Or did you just assume if they did not ask anything then there was nothing left to do?