Burden of Proof

Two months ago Bob was run off the road by another driver. The car rolled, my man got broken, the other driver didn't stop, months of medical fun ensued... but you know all of that. What you don't know is that, a week after the accident, a letter arrived from the State Patrol and in that letter was a ticket. A ticket for "speed unsafe for conditions". Not speeding, he was travelling at the speed of traffic, but unsafe driving based on the interview the officer did at the hospital while Bob was heavily sedated. I'm surprised he wasn't cited for being under the influence of a mind altering substance... the whole situation was just wrong. Poor Bob. He has always enjoyed driving and he is a safe driver. Only two accidents in almost thirty years of driving and the first one was a fender bender twenty years ago. But in an instant so much was taken from him. His health, his confidence and a car he loved... so that little yellow slip of paper that said the accident was his fault was more than an insult.

Today he had his day in court to contest the ticket. He was well prepared with graphs showing the path the car took, a witness, and twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one* (ok.. maybe not that). My point is that the man was prepared to stand before the judge and argue his case. He didn't have to work very hard to convince her though. The officer did not come to court but he sent a five line narrative. The judge read this statement aloud, listened to Bob's testimony and Ian's testimony, and then said some of the nicest judicial words I've ever heard... "The officer has failed to provide significant evidence that a violation occurred" and she dismissed the case.

So at least this one little issue has been completely resolved. It won't make Bob's neck hurt less, or take the place of his ever present knee brace, but in a small way I think this small victory makes him feel better. Ultimately it's small victories, a few hours without the neck brace, walking the dog, getting down on one knee and getting back up again, that will lead to complete recovery.

Today, we are happy.

* Does anyone remember Arlo Guthrie?