Kyle Wolf of Colorado was trying to cross the street in his wheelchair when he was hit by a car and suffered minor injuries. Officers then cited him for disobeying traffic laws and not crossing the street in the allotted time for pedestrians.
Wolfe was in shock when he got the ticket. He thought that the pedestrian should have the right of way and tried to cross the street quickly but was unable to do so.
Wolfe said he was trying to pick up the items in his lap but they kept falling.
There is a 20-second window for pedestrians to cross that intersection. The street width factors into the time limit and federal regulations say a person can travel 3.5 feet per second. Wolfe said people who can walk may travel that fast, but the regulation d does not take into consideration people who have disabilities. He said 20 seconds is not long enough for a disabled person to cross the street.
Wolfe was upset with the officer, who he felt was not being sensitive to his disability.
He does not know yet if the citation was legal because Colorado traffic laws state that even if a person hasn’t fully crossed a designated crosswalk in the time permitted, drivers must give them the right of way.
A spokesperson for the police department said Wolfe can fight his citation in court.
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