Got a $75 ticket near Wrigley for 'obstructing traffic' and now I'm fighting it myself, bad idea?
So I got popped on Clark St after a Cubs game last month, cop said I was blocking the crosswalk even though I was stopped behind like 6 other cars. I paid a paralegal $150 to file an appearance and she basically just mailed in a form, nothing else. Now the hearing is set for July 14th at the Daley Center and I'm wondering if I should just show up and explain it myself. Has anyone actually beaten one of these without a real lawyer, or am I gonna make it worse?
Man that Wrigley traffic after a game is the worst, I got clipped on Addison a couple years back for the same kind of thing and it stung for weeks. The part that burns me is you already dropped $150 on a paralegal who basically did nothing you couldn't have done with a stamp. Showing up yourself at the Daley Center is honestly pretty normal for these, they run them in batches and a lot of people just talk to the hearing officer. Bring photos of where you were stopped and how the other cars were lined up, that crosswalk defense only works if you can show you weren't the one hanging in it. Worst case you lose and you're out the 75, which is what you're already facing, so it's not like you can make it much worse than paying it.