aitah for considerinf leaving my son in the county jail hospital over the weekend instead of paying $9,500.00 in bail?

[u/ShowerElectrical9342]

My son hit a pregnant woman with his vehicle and broke his nose and has stitches on his lip.

He was arrested and is in the county jail hospital. He wouldn't tell me how badly injured the woman is, except that she might lose the baby.

He's a careless, distracted driver who has totalled 2 cars, which his bio dad immediately replaced with even better cars!

But now his bio dad is gone (heart attack) and I don't want to enable this dangerous driving problem.

I'm overwhelmed.

He has had accidents before, and has always been bailed out.

I'm trying to get a regular lawyer because now he says she might lose the baby and sue him.

He's 19.

But no one wants me to take the time to get a regular lawyer instead of this public defender who insists I must send the bail money NOW or my son will be in jail all weekend.

Honestly, I don't know. Maybe that would be good for him. Like a wakeup call.

He didn't mention alcohol, but why else would he he arrested for a car accident?

Help! I have to move fast!

AITAH for even thinking about letting him spend a weekend in jail?

[u/bumbalarie]

Do not go into debt hiring an attorney for your son. Do not lose your savings, house, retirement. He’s guilty. He’s already shown you what happens after he gets “bailed out” of trouble — he just does it again. He needs to learn an important life lesson before he injures (or kills) another innocent person. He needs to be off the street — jail is the best place for him.

[u/Neat-Statistician720 → u/bumbalarie]

It’s probably not even up to him on if he gets bailed out. OP edit mentions alcohol, if he was drunk and hurt somebody, he’s got a good shot at jail time and lots of fines/damages to pay. He’ll be uninsurable bc he has 2 prior accidents and this, so he can’t drive for a while, which means he probably won’t work much. Also has a very good shot of being a felon with this, which makes building a career hard, especially entry level jobs. His only savior was his bio dad but he’s gone.

This kid is likely fucked if the story is real.

[u/Anxious_Inspector_88 → u/bumbalarie]

Herein the Democratic People's Republik of MA, an individual of adult age cannot get a public defender if they live in their parents home as by providing housing, the parents have implicitly agreed to fund any legal defense the child needs.

Yes, really. This was a decision from the MA Supreme Judicial Court (a/k/a Sumpreme Marsupial Court)

Plus, if you pay bail for someone, always pay the LE agency directly, not some attorney you do not know. And in some states (MA is one), the bail is returned to the attorney who may take out whatever legal fees (s)he declares the defendant owes.

[u/Fantastic-Airline-92 → u/bumbalarie]

Thank goodness we have a judicial system here so many people say he is guilty and doesn’t even know what happened. Do better