Man Hurt Pushing 3 People Away From Speeding Car Gets Jaywalking Ticket
Posted February 26, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
You’ve got to give traffic cops credit for one thing – they don’t let anything stand in their way of handing you that ticket.
The latest example comes from Denver, where Jim Moffett became a local hero and ended up paying for it anyway. Last Friday, the 58-year-old and another man performed the classic ‘helping little old ladies across the street’ Boy Scout routine that’s become something of a cliché.
Except this one ended in a way no one expected.
As the bus driver aided the elderly ladies in their quest to get to the other side, he saw a pickup truck speeding straight towards them. Without worrying about his own safety, the bold Good Samaritan pushed the trio accompanying him out of the way, saving them from being hit head on.
But he wasn’t as lucky. Moffett woke up in the hospital after suffering from bleeding on the brain, a dislocated shoulder and what doctors suspect was a ruptured spleen. There was also something else waiting for him – a ticket for jaywalking.
It seems cops have decided that Moffett was aiding those ladies against a light and slapped the unconscious man with a citation for his trouble.
Moffett and his family are aghast at the fine, noting he saved three lives at the expense of his own wellbeing and whatever his wrongdoing, he may have been punished enough.
The other man helping him was also ticketed, and the driver was cited for careless driving. Only the little old ladies got off scot-free, although police are eyeing their actions, too.
Which may just send out another warning to would-be Good Samaritans everywhere. Sometimes the price of admission to that club comes with an expensive ticket.
UPDATE: Authorities have now withdrawn all the tickets after the bad publicity made them realize it simply wasn’t worth it. The careless driving charge still stands.
