18 year old Sarah Waddle, a freshman at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield CT, got a traffic ticket. The fine was $128. The offense was making an unsafe lane change. If you think for a moment that's a lot of cash for a minor infraction, consider this.

In the process of making what a State Police spokesman called an "unsafe lane movement Waddle collided with a tanker truck. The resulting fuel spill explosion and fire melted a section of a newly constructed highway overpass and closed down one of the busiest stretched of road in the northeast corridor for several days.

Still think $128 is a steep fine?

Art Gruhn, chief engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation told the Connecticut Post that the state would try to collect dammages from Waddle's insurance company.Anything we recover would have to go to reimburse the federal government for their emergency funds Costs for the repairs including overtime for construction crews and police is being covered by $13 million in emergency federal funds.

Somehow I don't think a $128 dollar ticket and whatever her insurance company does to her is adequate. Personally, I'd like to see Miss Waddle Standing by the side of the highway with a big that says "Sorry."

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 03:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment