Douglas E. Straub | Accident & Injury Lawyer

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Ryan David GEITGEY v. COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania
Attorney for the Appellee in a case regarding a 1995 accident in which said Appellee struck an unattended vehicle, was issued a citation and fined. That same day (15 minutes later), the Appellee hit another vehicle and received a second citation. Later, said Appellee was fined and received a six month suspension of his license. The Appellee argued and trial court agreed that because the appellee had no prior convictions on the date of his second violation, penalty enhancement was not applicable and his license should not have been suspended. In this case (appeal) the trial court reversed, finding the law to be too ambiguous for the trial court to have made said decision.

GEITGEY v. COMMONWEALTH DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION BUREAU OF DRIVER LICENSING
Appellee: Attorney for the Appellee, Ryan David Geitgey, in 1997 appeal of the Department of Transportation's suspension of Geitgey's driver's license. On November 19, 1995 Geitgey was arrested for drunk driving. On November 28, 1995 he was convicted of the same offense which had occurred prior to the November 19th arrest. On January 16, 1996 he was convicted for the November 19th offense. As it was his second conviction the Department of Transportation suspended his license for six months in addition to a $1000 fine. He appealed this decision because based ambiguous language. It was interpreted that because the second offense occurred before the first conviction he should not be subject to the enhanced penalties. The case was presented before the judge who sided with the Department of Transportation. Geitgey lost his appeal and his license remained suspended.