Black Ice Be Damned!

So, I was traveling to work this morning at around 3:30 a.m. or so, and came up to a stop light on my route. Hit a little bit of black ice and skidded, so I knew it was there and that I needed to be cautious the rest of the way to work.

Not that I'm reckless, you understand, but just needed to be even more careful.

So, I left the light when it turned green, and headed down the inside lane of the three lanes. Another vehicle, a small pick up, was in the far right lane. I'd just shifted into second gear and was going about 30-35 mph, when what appeared to be perfectly dry pavement WASN'T.

I started to go sideways, traveling down the road in a very slow spin, heading toward the other side of the road - and the pick up. One complete revolution, and beginning the second and I'm in front of the truck.

I braced for impact. BOOOM!

The impact pushed me into the snowbank/ditch. The rear of the Jeep was buried. His front end was buried.

For those of you who are interested, I did not have my foot on the brakes - although I do think I had the clutch pushed in.

Luckily, the damage was minimal. His turn signal light cover got broken and some piece of molding. My license plate frame got ripped away, and there's a small dent under that, and one on the side. There may be a line of caulk that needs to be looked at to make sure a body work seal isn't broken.

Damage to me? My right knee hit the gear shift hard enough to cause swelling and a huge contusion. When the cops released us from the scene, I turned around and drove home. I've spent the day with ice on my knee, napping, and hobbling when I have to.

And of course, I got the ticket for "failure to maintain control". The cop told me to go to court and see if I could get the judge to throw it out considering it was black ice. Still trying to decide if it's a good idea to do that, or just pay the fine.

Opinions?