Ishpeming District Court

In Michigan, there is something called VBS - Violation of the Basic Speed Law. It means that if you lose control of your car in bad conditions, you're ticketable, since the Basic Speed Law says that your speed must be such that you maintain control of your car at all times. The day I rolled Maggie, the Trooper cited me for VBS - and then apologized. When he drove me to the church in Ishpeming, he said, "There's where the court is. If you contest the ticket, you'll go there."

Now, when one enters the Franklin County Court House in Greenfield, MA, one enters a building that LOOKS like a courthouse. After passing through a metal detector and getting patted down by an armed guard, one waits in a crowded hallway filled with offenders, lawyers, a judge or two, some probation officers, annoyed state troopers and police officers, and all the other hapless drivers hoping to get their day in court. It's the only courthouse I'd ever been in (before today) and is sort of my court paradigm.

Even though the trooper had pointed it out, I missed the Ishpeming District Court the first time. It's in a big, white, brick building that looks like it started life as a factory, was converted into a mall; it is now largely vacant. On the ground floor, the shops and offices were mostly empty, the one that was open sold bows (and presumably arrows, as well). I have to say, it seemed an odd business to share a building with a court.

The court area took up most of the second floor. When I arrived, the hallway was completely empty and the doors were closed. After sorting out where to check in, I entered an office. Only one other person was waiting. When I returned to the hallway, the trooper who'd been at the scene was sitting in the hallway. "Hey!" he said, with a big smile, and then motioned for me to come sit by him. "How are you?" "Did they get your car fixed?" "Were you late for church that day?" We were chatting like old friends when the magistrate called us in to court.

After being sworn in, the magistrate asked the tropper for his side of the story, and he explained that he thought that I had been driving slowly, that the road conditions were uneven, that the curve was unusually sharp, that I'd learned a valuable lesson about driving in the UP, and that I was a nice woman. I explained that I'd overestimated how fast I'd been driving when the trooper asked me (since I was watching the road and not my speedometer), that the curve was not marked, and that I was going slowly and carefully.

In the end, I was found not responsible for the accident and the ticket was dismissed! The trooper and I walked out together. I thanked him for coming in on his own time, for supporting my cause, and for his help on the day of the accident. He told me to drive carefully. We grinned at one another and walked out of the courthouse.

The accident was bad. But from the moment I lost control on, it's been nothing but grace-filled. Today was a fitting closure.