As we stated in our previous post, The Strom Law Firm, LLC is currently investigating the legality of the I-95 Speed Trap issue in Ridgeland, SC.
We have issued a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in an effort to discover exactly what the relationship between iTraffic and the City is and how the money is being collected and distributed between the Town of Ridgeland and the State of South Carolina.
Click here to see a copy of the FOIA Town of Ridgeland.
We would like to thank those who have given us feedback regarding this issue. If you or someone you know has received a traffic citation from the town of Ridgeland as a result of the iTraffic system, please continue to post your comments below and describe the details surrounding your traffic citation. Also, please indicate whether your driving was impaired by the flash of the light from the video camera or whether anything else distracted you.
If you are interested in receiving updates regarding our ongoing investigation, please complete the form to the right of the page and enter your information.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I am very concerned about the danger involved in the flashing of this camera in pitch darkness when you least expect it. I was traveling from Florida to North Carolina to see relatives for Thanksgiving, and my wife and I were both very startled by a bright flash of light that came out of nowhere, and I was partially blinded by the flash. The car I was driving doesn’t have cruise control, so sometimes it is difficult to maintain an exact speed. We had to drive almost 9 hours because we couldn’t afford plane tickets and what a way to say “Happy Holidays from Ridgeland, SC!” by receiving a ‘photo’ ticket in the mail. Thanks Ridgeland for kicking a guy while he’s down. I seriously hope a class action succeeds to keep illegal practices from twisting words and meanings of law to prey on out-of-towners.
Unbelievable that the Mayor thinks he can get away with this! With the bright red light going off in your eyes at night someone is going to get killed. My first instinct was that oh crap, a car has slammed on its break lights in front of me so I immediately hit the breaks hard and jerked the wheel to the right. If there had been another car in the lane beside me or behind me they would have slammed into me or I would have put them into the trees. Maybe I should sue them for negligence and creating a hazard to safe driving. I think that the mayor will probably bail out of office and of course, the town of Ridgeway won’t have the money to pay everyone back once this goes to trial.
Thank you to everyone who has posted a comment regarding a speeding ticket received from the Town of Ridgeland and/or their experience with the I-95 camera.
We are focusing on the class action case in Federal Court and are not taking any new criminal traffic ticket cases at this time. As previously stated, we have filed a class action in the Federal District Court For the State of South Carolina challenging the issuance of tickets generated by the iTraffic system. Many of you have asked for advice as to what you should do if you receive a traffic ticket from the Town of Ridgeland and what impact the class action case may have upon your pending ticket.
If you have already paid your ticket, or if you are seeking advice on whether you should pay your ticket, in the class action case we are asking the Court to stop the Town of Ridgeland from issuing tickets via the iTraffic system and are seeking a refund of any bonds posted for tickets received from the Town of Ridgeland. Because this class has not yet been certified we cannot make any representation to you regarding whether you may benefit from our lawsuit.
With regard to handling a pending ticket, we suggest that you hire an attorney to defend your case. While the decision of whether to hire an attorney and whom to select are up to you, Attorney Ray Lord is defending traffic tickets issued by the Town of Ridgeland. He may be reached at (803)407-4140. His email address is LordLawFirm@aol.com. You may also contact the South Carolina Bar Referral Service at (803) 799-7100. I invite any other lawyers who are interested in handling these traffic ticket cases to post your name and contact information.
Alternatively, if you choose not to hire an attorney at this time, we suggest that you submit a written request for a jury trial which will delay your court date. We are posting an example of a jury trial request below for your convenience. If you request a jury trial, we suggest that you contact an attorney immediately upon receipt of notice of the date and time of your jury trial. We have given this advice to others and some have chosen to pay the fine and hope that the class action results in a refund.
We do not suggest that you ignore the ticket. Doing so may result in your being tried in your absence and have an effect upon your driver’s license whether you reside in South Carolina or outside of South Carolina. You may also be subject to criminal sanctions. If you wish to receive updates on our case, please complete the contact us form located above in the upper right hand corner of our webpage.
Please keep in mind that our advice is general in nature and does not address the facts of your specific situation and our advice may be very different depending upon individual facts and circumstances. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We welcome your continued comments. However, contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.
SAMPLE JURY TRIAL REQUEST:
Town of Ridgeland
1 Town Square
Ridgeland, South Carolina 29936
RE: The Town of Ridgeland v. Your Name
Ticket No: (Your ticket number)
Charge: (List Charge on Ticket)
JURY TRIAL REQUEST
To Whom it May Concern:
I hereby request a jury trial in the above referenced matter. If you would be so kind as to schedule a jury trial in this case, I would be most appreciative. It is my understanding that this request, if granted, will eliminate the need for me to appear on (insert date of requested appearance) at xx:xx AM/PM
If you have any questions regarding this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours Truly,
Your Name
Thank you to everyone who has posted a comment regarding a speeding ticket received from the Town of Ridgeland and/or their experience with the I-95 camera.
We are focusing on the class action case in Federal Court and are not taking any new criminal traffic ticket cases at this time. As previously stated, we have filed a class action in the Federal District Court For the State of South Carolina challenging the issuance of tickets generated by the iTraffic system. Many of you have asked for advice as to what you should do if you receive a traffic ticket from the Town of Ridgeland and what impact the class action case may have upon your pending ticket.
If you have already paid your ticket, or if you are seeking advice on whether you should pay your ticket, in the class action case we are asking the Court to stop the Town of Ridgeland from issuing tickets via the iTraffic system and are seeking a refund of any bonds posted for tickets received from the Town of Ridgeland. Because this class has not yet been certified we cannot make any representation to you regarding whether you may benefit from our lawsuit.
With regard to handling a pending ticket, we suggest that you hire an attorney to defend your case. While the decision of whether to hire an attorney and whom to select are up to you, Attorney Ray Lord is defending traffic tickets issued by the Town of Ridgeland. He may be reached at (803)407-4140. His email address is LordLawFirm@aol.com. You may also contact the South Carolina Bar Referral Service at (803) 799-7100. I invite any other lawyers who are interested in handling these traffic ticket cases to post your name and contact information.
Alternatively, if you choose not to hire an attorney at this time, we suggest that you submit a written request for a jury trial which will delay your court date. We are posting an example of a jury trial request below for your convenience. If you request a jury trial, we suggest that you contact an attorney immediately upon receipt of notice of the date and time of your jury trial. We have given this advice to others and some have chosen to pay the fine and hope that the class action results in a refund.
We do not suggest that you ignore the ticket. Doing so may result in your being tried in your absence and have an effect upon your driver’s license whether you reside in South Carolina or outside of South Carolina. You may also be subject to criminal sanctions. If you wish to receive updates on our case, please complete the contact us form located above in the upper right hand corner of our webpage.
Please keep in mind that our advice is general in nature and does not address the facts of your specific situation and our advice may be very different depending upon individual facts and circumstances. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We welcome your continued comments. However, contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.
SAMPLE JURY TRIAL REQUEST:
Town of Ridgeland
1 Town Square
Ridgeland, South Carolina 29936
RE: The Town of Ridgeland v. Your Name
Ticket No: (Your ticket number)
Charge: (List Charge on Ticket)
JURY TRIAL REQUEST
To Whom it May Concern:
I hereby request a jury trial in the above referenced matter. If you would be so kind as to schedule a jury trial in this case, I would be most appreciative. It is my understanding that this request, if granted, will eliminate the need for me to appear on (insert date of requested appearance) at xx:xx AM/PM
If you have any questions regarding this request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours Truly,
Your Name
Pete Strom
http://stromlawcriminalattorneys.com
I received a bright flashing light shot at my car that caused me to swerve and lose sight for 2 to 4 seconds around the Thanksgiving day Holiday. My family was shocked and scared at what that might be on such a dark night. Well 3 weeks later I recieved a ticket in the mail and I responded back in writing with the SC law that states I should have been served within 1 hour of me going 82 in a 70MPH zone. I have heard nothing from the Richland County. Clearly unbelievable.
MV
I too received a citation by mail for allegedly doing 83 in a 70 mph zone back in December of 2010 at least two weeks after the alleged violation. This is illegal per the SC law’s intent. The bright light from the camera startled and temporarily disoriented me and nearly causeg me to swerve off the shoulder of I-95. Furthermore being a former SCDOT employee, I noticed this camera they set up on the shoulder isn’t “crash worthy” per SCDOT Uniform Traffic Code. Therefore it presents a major safety hazard for motorists if accidentally hit. I exercised my constitutional rights and sent in my Jury Trial Request certified mail prior to the first court date on my ticket and am awaiting a response from the City of Ridgeland.
i thing that i might be getting one in the mail b/c i went threw a speeding trab and saw a bright red light go off and i havent got anything in the mail yet but, i just want to know before i get it if there is a fine with points or just a big fine ill have to pay out?
I was traveling to FL. I was in the passing lane behind another vehicle with my control option on between 75-77. I wasn’t even doing 80 mph. A red flash went on and a couple weeks later I received a citation for $133. They said they got me doing 84 mph. It didn’t flash to the car ahead of me then. I have been reading up on it and the class action suit. My question is if this is supose to control safety then why is enforcement not pulling people over? What if I was drinking and driving? How is mailing me a ticket saving lives? Another thing if they can’t identify the person to their license and registered car they toss the citations out? Or they make the registered owner of the car come foward and identify the driver. This is all about money and gain not safety!
I received a ticket on April 23rd while on my way to Fla. 82 in a 70 and when I went online to pay it showed as “Careless operation of a motor vehicle”. This is far different from speeding in my opinion.
Fine is $133.00. Camera’s were set up along the road under the overpass. Traffic slowed down considerably to see what was going on as the RV set up with camera’s looked like a TV station.
I totally agree this is not a proactive way to slow down traffic but rather a trap. They state they will not put on the drivers record if paid. Lets not be fooled..if it were a safety concern they would add it to your driving history!!!! I am curious to know what others show as the violation.
This morning I received a ticket in the mail for speeding (85/70) in Ridgeland. The irony is I havent been in S. Carolina for over ten years and the picture of the person driving the motorcycle is clearly not me. I have seen alot of scams in my life but this one takes the cake!!! It will cost me alot of money to defend but I will not be subject to judiciary abuse…
My wife received a citation via the regular US mail, not certified or requesting a signature. They have no proof that it was ever delivered to the proper address. I say don’t pay it.. They have no evidence it was ever delivered.
I do think we should start a fund and purchase a highway billboard sign warning of the unlawful speed trap north and south of Ridgeland on 95.
{ 1 trackback }