03x33 - Teen's Ill-Fated Run into Traffic

[bunniefuu]

-His body and your car collided?
-Yes.

Oh, God.

So, you were running across the street.

I thought I could make it. Didn't make it.

You're a very, very lucky kid.

They say a cat has nine lives.
People aren't that lucky.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] School teacher Rachael Heida
is suing Virginia Allen

for car damage and emotional distress
after Virginia's son hit her car.

[Kevin]
Court, come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge. Heida vs. Allen.

Thank you.

[Kevin]
Mm-hmm.

Ms. Heida, your case is about
damage that was done to your car

when Ms. Allen's son,

which would be
this young man over here, hit it.

You were in the car,
he was on foot at an intersection.

Mm-hmm.

The defendant's argument is
that you were driving carelessly,

and you're just lucky
that she's not suing you.

Correct.

Your case has
a sort of an interesting twist,

which I will find out about...

because Ms. Allen's son,
whose name is...

[Virginia]
Keagan.

...that Keagan was playing some,
it's hard for me to imagine,

some stupid, idiotic teenage game

that other people on the Internet,
on something... TikTok...

that it's a sort of a game he was playing.

You may be able to see me better
if you trim that.

You know, so it's not below your eyes.
I tell that to my grandchildren.

Just a little, so I can see, you know,
I could see your eyes.

And your mother would love it.

-Just a little bit. Yeah, perfect.
-Yes.

See, he's not intimidated, Ms. Allen.
I see he's not intimidated by anything.

Yeah.

-[Judy] I can fix that.
-[chuckles] Thank you.

I'd appreciate that.

Yeah, not to worry. [chuckles]

Okay. So, tell me
when this incident occurred.

It actually occurred on April 27th.

[Judy]
What time of day?

[Rachael]
Approximately 3:45 PM.

[Judy] And you were picking your kids up
from school.

-Yes.
-[Judy] How many children do you have?

I have two of my own,
but I'm a carpool mom

that takes turns with two other moms.

So, I had a total of five children
in the car that day.

Tell me what happened.

So, I had just picked them up,
and I was in the right-hand lane,

and the light was red.

So, of course, I was idle,

waiting for the light to turn green.

And I'm definitely one of those people

who always hesitate
at a green light because...

Don't give me a whole story,
just tell me what happened.

Yeah, so then, I started to progress
through the green light.

And then, like, instantly,
seconds after I progressed,

like, we were colliding.

[Judy]
Okay. You were colliding with Keagan.

Tell me where his body was
on your car.

He was running towards, like,
my driver's side window, like, my door.

And I only saw him as we were colliding.
Going towards, like, my door.

My driver's side door.

[Judy] Okay. Do you have photographs
of where his body and your car collided?

[Rachael]
Um, like...

[Judy]
I would like to see the damage to the car.

Oh, okay, yeah. I do have that.

While she's looking for that, Ms. Allen,
you weren't with your son that day?

I was not.

-[Judy] He was coming home from school.
-Correct.

-[Judy] And he walks home?
-[Virginia] Yes.

I have actually a quick little video
of, like, the whole thing.

You click on that one, right there.

Should I click on it?
Or should I wait for you?

Yeah, 'cause I don't want it to play.

Ms. Allen, have you seen
photographs of the car?

I have not.

[Judy]
Okay.

-So, it was on the side.
-[Rachael] Yes.

-[Judy] Is that the rear passenger side?
-Rear driver's side.

Rear driver's side, right over the wheel.

[Rachael]
Yes.

I believe even my collision report
gives, like, X's on the drawing...

No, I'm just looking at it...
Uh, Kevin...

I would like you to show Ms. Allen,

just so that she sees
the same photograph that I'm looking at.

And Keagan, you can get up and look
at that photograph with your mother

so that you've had an opportunity
to see it, as well.

-So...
-Thank you.

[Judy]
Now you can return that to her.

Keagan did not collide with her

so that the damage
to her car was in the front.

He collided on the side of her car.

So, you know, I'm not really good
at physics,

but if he made contact with the car
on her side,

unless the car was being driven sideways,
he hit her.

I'm just telling you that that... Right?

Now, I don't know the circumstances
around it, but his body hit her car.

Not her car hitting his body.

If I may...

[Judy] Well, you have no idea
'cause you weren't there.

-Correct.
-[Judy] Right.

And what happened after he hit the car,
that's pretty serious damage,

which means that the person or object
that hit your car was going pretty fast.

Mm-hmm.

[Judy] Because it wouldn't make any
difference how fast your car was going.

The force of the person hitting your car
caused that kind of damage.

Got it so far, Keagan?

Yeah.

-[Judy] Yes!
-Yes.

-Excuse me?
-Yes.

Perfect.

After this incident, did you post anything
on the Internet about the incident?

No, ma'am.

You have anything that he posted
on the Internet?

Within 24 hours, I received
a video of him recording himself

saying, and I quote,
"I made that car my b*tch."

[theme music playing]

[narrator]
School teacher Rachael Heida

claims Virginia Allen's son, Keagan,
ran into the street

and hit her car, causing damage
and emotional distress.

Okay, what happened next?

I screamed and pulled over to the side,
like, within nanoseconds,

ran out to go check on him,
and luckily, a nurse had ran out

kind of simultaneously as me,

and we both just kind of, like,
start examining.

I let her touch him,

but I was there
examining him with my eyes

and asking him questions.

And I kinda let her take control
'cause you could see that she was a nurse.

She had, you know, tools,
nurse tools, around her neck.

And she was... I kinda just let her...

-do her routine.
-[Judy] Do her thing.

And the police had came in instantly.
Our neighborhood is very good about that.

Police are very nearby.

And as soon as the police arrived,

I ran straight to them so I can explain
what happened and give information.

[Judy]
And what happened with Keagan?

[Rachael] So, from what I could see,
the, um, the nurse

had eventually walked him
over to the sidewalk.

And while I was giving the police,
like, my report,

um, ambulance showed up
to take him away.

-[Judy] Did the EMS take him away?
-They did.

That could partly be because I, well,
I am a teacher, so I'm CPR certified,

so I know one of the big things you do
is you tell someone, "Go call 911."

So, I did turn to a bystander and say,
"Call 911!"

So, the bystander went to call 911.

So, I think that's one of the reasons
why the ambulance came.

Were you called to the hospital,
Ms. Allen?

-I was.
-[Judy] And did you go?

-I did.
-[Judy] What time did you get there?

I arrived about 5:00, shortly after 5:00.

[Judy]
Did you have a conversation with your son?

[Virginia]
I did.

[Judy]
First of all, how was he feeling?

He was, um...

confused.

He didn't remember a lot
about what happened.

He said last thing he remembered,
he was at school.

And next thing, he was in an ambulance.

That's what he said?
He didn't remember anything else?

He did not remember very much.

-[Judy] Does he remember now?
-He does.

Oh, good. Well, I could understand
him being a little confused, maybe then.

-But I'm glad he, sort of, remembers now.
-Yes.

[Judy] Okay, it's about 3:25,
you're just getting out of school, Keagan.

Yes.

You were walking home alone?

No, I was walking with some friends and...

when I got to the crosswalk,
what I remember,

the red hand was still flashing.

And my uncle's visiting from New Mexico,
so, you know...

-I don't want to hear a whole story.
-[Keagan] Okay.

I don't want to hear a whole story
about why you were anxious to get home.

I said goodbye to my friends,
started running...

Thought I could make it. Didn't make it.

-And when I got...
-So, you were running across the street.

Yes.

And you were running across the street,
according to you,

because you saw the light was flashing,
that it was going to turn red.

-Yeah.
-[Judy] And you thought you could make it.

Yes.

-Your Honor... Yeah.
-[Judy] Shh! Just a second.

[Judy] You thought you could...
Could we please go to that map?

Okay, do you see where that map is?

[Keagan]
Yes.

[Judy] Is your car the red car
or the blue car?

Blue car.

[Judy] Okay. And the picture of the man,
Keagan, that would be you.

[Keagan]
Yes.

[Judy]
So, when you got to the sidewalk,

according to you, the light
that you could see on the other side

of these four lanes...
was flashing.

Yes.

[Judy]
And you started running across the street.

Yes.

[Judy] When you were standing there,
you said goodbye to your friends.

I want you to think about this
very, very carefully.

When you looked at the light,
was the light flashing?

From what I remember, yes.

What do you mean,
"from what you remember"?

I don't remember it very well.
It's foggy.

[Judy] Okay, so you don't know
whether the light was flashing

or whether your light turned red.

Yes.

So, you don't remember.
So, it's possible that the light was red

when you ran across the street.

Yes.

That's better.
Now we're getting better.

Okay. I've read the complaint
and the answer.

And I'm so happy that you weren't injured
when you did this reckless thing.

So, if you don't remember,
I have to rely on the plaintiff.

The plaintiff remembers
she had a green light and you did not.

So, if you have no firm memory,
which you just indicated to me,

so far, you're in the wrong.

-You understand that.
-Yes.

-I did do something really stupid. I...
-[Judy] What?

I did do something really dumb.

Oh, perfect.

I do know that, and I realize that.

-Say you're sorry.
-I'm sorry.

Well, if you did do something wrong

and your parents are responsible
for your negligent act,

that caused damage to her car...
do you acknowledge

that you owe her her deductible
that she had to pay to have her car fixed?

Yes. And we did offer to fix the damages
and pay for the damages.

It's more the emotional distress
that I have an issue with.

Unfortunately, I fixed the car
after they had reached out to me.

I had already had the car fixed.

It had been, like, three to four weeks

when they contacted me
after the accident.

Did you contact them?

I did not.

How did you get her information?

Well, because we found out she's suing us.
So then, we reached out to say,

"May we fix the damages to your car?"

-[Judy] Okay.
-Yes.

And I assume, Ms. Allen, you sound like
a reasonably intelligent woman,

that if one of my children
were hit by a car

and taken to the hospital,

I might decide
that this driver was reckless,

if it was reckless, and sue them.

You decided not to do that
for a variety of reasons.

Correct.

So, I'm glad that you've agreed
to fix the damage.

But there's something in this complaint
that I would like to pursue for a second.

-Keagan.
-Yes.

[Judy]
After this incident,

did you post anything on the Internet
about the incident?

A few weeks later, I did post a picture
of myself in the hospital, yes.

Anything else?

No, ma'am.

You have anything that he posted
on the Internet?

Within 24 hours, I received a video
of him recording himself saying,

and I quote, "I made that car my b*tch."

[Judy]
May I see that?

That is this. And again,
this is within 24 hours.

My face looking pretty... up.

[deep inhale, exhale]

Feeling pretty good though.

Yo, I made that car my b*tch.

I pretty much took that car like a champ.

Are you aware of a game on TikTok
where kids try to beat a traffic light?

-No.
-Is this the video of the accident?

Yes.

[Judy]
Have you ever seen that, Ms. Allen?

I have not.

To be honest, Your Honor,
I have never see it either.

I have not been able to get myself
to watch it.

Oh, so, we're all seeing it
for the first time. Okay, let's go.

[theme music playing]

[narrator]
School teacher Rachael Heida

has accused Virginia Allen's son, Keagan,
of running into the street

and colliding with her car.

Now, Keagan, I would like you
to tell me what that means.

Shh, just a... I would like you
to tell me what it...

I really don't know.

I guess I probably meant that...

[Judy] No, no. No, no, no.
I don't want you to guess anything.

You know exactly what that means
in your head.

So, don't give me a guess.

What does it mean?

I was pretty okay for being hit by a car.

That's what it means? "I made that car
my b*tch" means, "I'm pretty okay"?

Really? Is that what you meant
or did you mean you took that car?

Well, you see the minimal damage I had
from getting hit by a car.

[Judy]
That's not my question to you, Keagan.

I mean, you know, I've not heard that
expression, particularly that expression,

before with regard to a car,
but I don't think that that means,

"I collided with a car and look,
I only had minimum damage."

What does it mean?

That I took it well.

Not you. It says,
"I made that car my b*tch."

Yes.

[Judy]
What does that mean?

-I don't...
-Not "I really did this okay,

I turned out okay,
I wasn't that injured."

That phrase has a particular meaning.

And I would really like to know
what it means.

Not what you would like to say it means,
but what you meant when you posted it.

I do not understand the question,
Your Honor.

Okay. In my mind, that statement means,
"I took the car."

That this was some sort of sport.

No.

-No?
-No.

You were just rushing home
to see your uncle?

[Keagan]
Yes.

-Mm-hmm.
-He's a family friend.

I've known him all my life.

You aware of a game,
sort of, on TikTok

where kids try to beat a traffic light?

-Are you aware of that?
-No, I was not aware of that.

-[Judy] Not...
-No.

-[Judy] Never seen it.
-No.

Okay. Is this the video
of the accident?

Yes.

[Judy] I'd like to take a look.
Just a second.

Have you ever seen that, Ms. Allen?

I have not.

To be honest, Your Honor,
I have never seen it either.

I can not... I have not been able
to get myself to watch it.

Oh, so, we're all seeing it
for the first time. How interesting.

Okay, let's go.

[Rachael]
This should be fun.

[child #1]
Are you sure you're...

[Judy]
There he is.

-[Rachael screams]
-[horn honks]

[child #2]
What?

[Rachael]
I hit a kid.

[Judy]
Clearly, all the other cars were going.

So, she wasn't even the first car in line.
All the other cars went.

Who is this?

[Keagan]
That's my father, Colin.

Would you like to move over
so you can see it again?

I was able to see it.

Okay. So, you understand what happened?
All the other cars going...

We're gonna play it one more time.
One more time.

And I want you to see where
your son starts to cross the street

when the traffic is moving.

Light changes... cars start to move...

I can't see... Oh, yeah, I can.

[Judy]
Well, then move over, sir.

Well, the light's
just right in between.

I don't need any communication.
Just move over and look at it.

The light's green... cars are moving...

The plaintiff's car
has the dash-cam on it.

Your son is running across the street.
Green light.

She wasn't even the first car.
Two cars went before her.

Now you see that, sir?

-Yes.
-[Judy] Great.

Okay. So, you had a deductible.
How much?

One thousand dollar deductible.

And how long did it take
for your car to be fixed?

I want to say, like,
two weeks and two days.

Like, right over two weeks.

What did you do for a car
for those two weeks?

I was able to borrow my father's car
for on and off. Yeah.

Great. So, you had your father's car.
Very good.

You're a very lucky kid.

-I know. I know.
-[Judy] You're a very, very lucky kid.

They say a cat has nine lives.
People aren't that lucky.

Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $1,000.

We're finished.
Thank you very much.

[Kevin]
This court is adjourned.

I think she was very fair.

I'm glad she was able to hear
from both sides.

I think the judge's decision is fair.

I feel like the game is hearsay,
but my son clearly was in the wrong.

So, I'm a teacher, and hitting a child
is one of my worst fears of all time.

And it happened and it's been
pretty traumatic for me, to be honest.

It was very frightening. I got
lots of new white hair and wrinkles.

And it's obviously very distressing.

Severe anxiety driving down that street.

Consistently fearful of hitting children.

Like, anywhere I go, just constant fear.

To hear that your kid has been hit
by a car.

Police officers are the ones that
informed me that he did it on purpose.

Disappointment...

So, they knew from the very beginning.

...in my son.

I'm kinda hoping that this would be
a good lesson for him.

That he would finally learn
to make better choices.

I hope he learns,
and obviously still needs to.

So, I was hoping, this is the thing
that's gonna turn him over.

And when I saw that video,
I was like, or not.

That's one lucky kid and one lucky family.

Oh, yeah.

[laughs] What a fool.

I'm not sure he gave me
an adequate explanation

of what he meant
when he posted that video.

You know, I have my own thoughts
about that.

But he is one lucky kid because
he went into that car with some force.

Yeah. No, I've seen you, you know,
leave the curb at a blinking hand,

you know, a short distance.

But there were cars
that were going already.

You know, it was very clearly
a Frogger-type situation,

-trying to weave traffic...
-What did you call that?

-Frogger.
-Frogger.

It's an old video game
where you jump through traffic

and try not to get hit by cars.

So, when I saw that video,
that's exactly what I thought of.

Yeah, well, I learned something. Frogger.

[narrator]
Want justice?



[theme music playing]