Sometimes, the best way to draw attention to a serious issue affecting highway safety is to use a celebrity’s situation as a cautionary tale. The visibility of such persons can bring awareness to important subjects that might otherwise get overlooked by citizens across the country. This next report illustrates the importance of always remaining at the scene of an accident until everything gets taken care of properly. To do otherwise is to invite potential charges and a legal headache.
Earlier this month, actress Amanda Bynes was involved in an automobile collision in which she allegedly drove into the back of another person’s car. The driver of that other vehicle alleges that the actress neglected to provide her insurance information and left the scene before the authorities could be alerted to the situation.
This incident came just four short months after Bynes allegedly was involved in another crash in which she again ran into the back of a vehicle, this time on the 101 Freeway. The actress was accused of driving away from the accident, but because there was apparently no one on-hand who could attest to the fact that it was indeed Bynes behind the wheel, the city attorney’s office declined to pursue the matter further.
That has changed on the heels of this latest incident, as the office has reopened the case. They’re able to do this because a rejection doesn’t necessarily mean that a case will never be pursued. Prosecutors have up to one year to decide whether they are going to file misdemeanor charges, and if new evidence accumulates during that time, it provides an incentive to revisit an initial incident. An incident like the one described can thus be used to demonstrate that a certain person has a history of behaving recklessly behind the wheel.
The actress disputes the insinuation of a hit and run, reportedly telling police officials that her and the driver of the other vehicle came to the conclusion that the damage was so slight that it would be unnecessary to file a police report. If that’s true, the woman apparently reconsidered, as a police report was indeed filed once damages were estimated to be in the range of $800.
No matter what eventually winds up being decided in this case, drivers across the country should understand the requirements of the law. To avoid a potential legal scuffle, it’s best to err on the side of caution and exchange information with the other driver. There’s no drawback to doing so, but there’s plenty of drawback to ignoring this step. By following the law at all times, you protect yourself from financial and legal harm.