Walk It Through: Lights On The Shoulder
A trooper on the shoulder, a fender bender in the next mile, and a stranger who needs help.
On the interstate, a cruiser with blue lights flashing sits on the shoulder behind a stopped truck.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One interstate morning. Fault between the drivers, the insurance claim, a death at the scene and the felony for leaving are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Approaching a stationary vehiclePassing a stopped vehicle showing flashing lights, hazard lights, flares or a warning sign, which takes a lane change away from it where safe, or slowing to not over 15 miles per hour on an undivided road and 25 on a divided highway.
- Emergency care at the sceneHelp given voluntarily and without pay at the scene of an accident, emergency or disaster, for which a person acting in good faith is not liable for civil damages.