Opening statement

Good afternoon people of the jury. I’m here with my co-council Jesus. I would like to introduce

you to my witnesses Charlie Spector, and Jessie Finch. They Have been through the process of a

car crash. On the early morning of June 10, 2023 Charlie Spector and all his friends were on a

road trip to tour for their college experiences. But this took an unexpected turn, as Charlie was

driving his 2009 Honda Civic which bought not too long ago, and he just filled it up with gas.

Charlie has been spammed by his mother because she was worried. Haven’t we all gotten that

call that we needed to answer or we’d be grounded for, well forever?

On the morning of June 10th, Parker, Jesse, and Charlie, went on a road trip to explore

their possible 2024 fall semester colleges. These colleges included ISU, which Carlie has gotten

accepted to, SIU, for Parker and Millikan university for Jesse. Charlie has knows Jesse since

pre-k, they grew up together, then they met Parker sophomore year of high school. On the

morning of June 10th, after finishing their road trip on thier way home,Charlie’s mother has

spammed Charlie with texts due to the weather forecast. They observed the weather worsening

and the increasingly slippery roads. As we know, Transitioning into adulthood involves an age of

exploration, yet the presence of a parent or guardian remains crucial for these young individuals

to navigate towards a bright future. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today, I aim to explain the

aftermath of a momentary lapse in judgment rather than deliberate negligence. A momentary

lapse simply means a fleeting period of inattention or error in judgment. In this context, it

underscores that the driver's temporary mistake, involving communication with his mother, was

an isolated incident rather than part of a consistent pattern of behavior. Charlie's mom was

constantly calling and texting him, but Charlie is not the one who picked up the phone, to

change music, or see where the gps is telling him to go. He calmly asked one of his friends to
take his phone to answer his mom and even tried to use the Bluetooth speaker. if any of the

passengers in the car with Charlie were being communicated by their mom, they would answer

it, because they are just teenage boys, who want to make sure their mom is not worried. For

Charlie his mom is his best friend, and he wanted to make sure she would get a good night sleep

and wanted to let her know he’s safe.

Charlie is a young teenage boy who went on a college tour, who had pure intentions of

getting his friends to the colleges they asked Charlie to take them to. Charlie had been friends

with these boys since they were little Boys, so they must know Charlie’s actions and how he is

when his mother gets worried about him, just like when doing a sport you must sign a waiver so

if you get hurt, the athlete doesnt sue the school, mentally when Charlies friends got into his car

they knew Charlie’s behaviors, and they mentally signed that waiver of going through this car

ride together. This means that Charlie’s friends are not victims of the case but rather the

passengers that just wanted to have a cool road trip with the boys. All of the boys in the car were

driving for the same intentions of spending time together and touring their colleges, but why is

the only one getting punished for this crash the driver. After arriving to the has station for an

energy drink, Charlie told his friends to buckle up for the next couple hours on the road, Jesse

explained that he did, but he knew Parker did not buckle up for the rest of the car ride. Ladies

and gentlemen of the Jury, before this trial comes to an end i want you to think of two things. If

Charlie was well of his surroundings and knew he wasn’t the one holding the phone while his

mom called, why is Charlie getting consequences for something he didn’t do. And last but not

least, if Parker is the one who didn’t wear his seat belt during the crash, isn’t he the one

responsible for his own injuries. All the other boys put on their seatbelts during the crash and

their injuries weren’t as severe as Parker’s. So whose fault would that be? People around you
affect the way you act, any of them would have taken the phone knowing the possible things

Charlie was going through. Why is it fair for only the driver to get the consequence of the

accident, yes, they might’ve gotten hurt but Charlie wasn’t intentionally hitting the car so they

get hurt he was he was stopping the car and trying to avoid the crash but the roads were slippery.

Ladies and gentlemen beyond a reasonable doubt, this simply means the defendants actions such

as being on the phone with his mother was a significant contribute to the accident Accidents

don’t just occur because of one’s self but because of the surroundings, this included the weather,

the music, the calls from his mom. Injuries can be avoided, just like Jesse and Parker put their

seat belt and didnt get severely injured, Parker didnt, “There are consequences to one actions”

and this is simply the consequences of Parker’s actions This is simply the lifestyle of a teenager.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I hope you see Charlie’s innocence.

Direct examination(Charlie Spector): Jesus

● Please state your name for the court

○ My name is Charlie Spector
● Tell us about your family
My family includes my mom and dad.
● Tell us about your motor vehicle record if you have one
○ I just bought this new Honda civic, but I haven’t had a ticker ever I
● What school do you attend:
I recently graduated from Lincoln ville high school, and just got accepted into ISU
● How old are you
I’m 18 years old
● How long have you been friends with Parker?
○ For most of our high school years
● Why did you go on this road trip?
○ To tour our colleges
● How was the roads like on June 9th, 2023
○ The roads was a little slick and it was curved, and i had noticed it was starting to
get slippery
● Who answered your phone when your mother called?
○ My friend in the back seat Jesse FInch, he was also playing the music
● You stopped at a gas station, what did you get from there?
 ○ I took a Red Bull and a caffeine pill becasue i was getting a little tired, but i know
my limits and I knew a Red Bull would help me wake up
○ When i was getting my snacks, i texted the boys to buckle up becasue the roads
were getting slippery
● Why was your phone on speaker when the police found it
○ The Bluetooth in my car is a bit spotty sometimes, but Jesse was holding my
phone while it was on speaker
● Why did you answer the phone if you knew it would cause this Much corruption?
○ I personally didn’t answer my phone because I know thats illegal, Jesse or Parker
did it for me, but the roads were slippery and i was staying cautious but I can’t
control the roads.
● How do you know the plaintiff?
○ Me and parker are great friends, even his mom allowed him to come with me on
this road trip.
● Describe how the phone call with your mom went?
○ The phone call was on speaker, so my mom really couldn’t say much to me, it
went along the lines of get home right now im worried sick or im taking your car
● We’re the pills in the car yours?
○ I know Jesse took a pot pill, but Parker also looked a little droopy
● How severe were the weather conditions at the time of the accident, and did they
contribute to the crash?
○ I can feel the humidity, as it was getting forecasted to rain, and i can feel the
roads get slippery.
○
● Why didnt you stop the car when you felt the roads ger slippery?
I would’ve caused traffic, and my mom was already mad so I just wanted to get home, and i
knew the weather wpould worsen if i waited more.

● Were there any specific actions or events during the phone call that you think
may have impacted your ability to drive safely?
○ Nothing that my mom hasn't said to me the past 10 phone calls that made me
feel like I couldn’t drive, she was purley just warning me
● Were your friends aware of the challenging weather conditions while holding the
phone for you?
●
○ Yes i was mostly ranting to them about how i just wanted to be home at the
moment and they agreed, but Parker was falling asleep
● Did your friends offer assistance or create any distractions that may have
affected your focus on driving?
●
○ My friends were just talking like normal, the music was playing and thats it
Direct statement (Jesse Finch)

● Restate your name for the jury

Jesse finch tyt
● State your relationship to Charlie Spector
I have been friends with him since Pre-K
● Why did you go on this road trip
Just to look around colleges and make my decision but i also wanted to spend time with the
boys before college
● Who was in charge of holding the phone
I just know that the phone was on speaker or bluetooth, but i can’t remember if i was holding the
phone or if Charlie was
● Was everyone wearing the seat belt
I was for sure wearing the seat belt, but i know for a fact that Parker was not, even though
Charlie warned us to due to the weather conditions
● Can you explain Charlie’s physical looks? Was he tired?
Yup, he was tired befor we pulled up to the gas station, but after he drank a Red Bull he was
recharged
● Would you consider Charlie as a safe driver
Yes Charlie would make sure he took the right turns, he’s also very considerate and cautious of
the things going on around him.

Cross Examination:(Parker Keating)

How old are you?

● 18 years old

● Do you have speeding tickets under your name?

● Yes

● Is that why Charlie chose to drive?

● Yes

● When Jesse told you to buckle up again, Did you?

● I think I did (No)

● Did Charlie put the phone on Speaker?

● Yes

● Did Charlie put the phone down after he was done with the phone call?
● Yes
 ● You saw a big truck on the shoulder ahead of you guys that was parked to the side,
correct?
● Yes

● Did you even say anything about the big truck in front of you?
● No

● Since it was parked on the side of the road Charlie has the right of way of continuing to
drive forward, correct?
● Yes

No more further questions your honor

Cross examination(Sam Haller) Jesus

● How long have you owned ur gas station for
●
● Have you had a Red Bull before and did you feel more awake
● How old are you?
●
● Did any of Parker’s friends take the pills in the store
● Why are you on Parker’s side
●
● As you know Parker was sleeping in the car while this occurred and Jesse was
high so who else could’ve driven the car?
● How did you find out abou the crash
● how many people work in your gas station
● has your gas station been and its items being sold approved by the government
skip
● what did Parker buy anything from the gas station
● how did the weather look outside as the teenagers left your store?
●
(Pull up exhibit 4 t

Closing statement:
As we come to an end here today, I wanted to bring up the importance of blaming someone else
for one’s actions. As we know at the gas station the Charlie was buying a Red Bull to wake up
Becasue he was a bit tired, but that’s like a truck driver doing his job in order to revive his salary
and support his family. A Red Bull is proven to Caffeine, a key ingredient in Red Bull, is a
central nervous system stimulant. It blocks adenosine receptors, a neurotransmitter
associated with sleep. This inhibition leads to increased alertness and a temporary
reduction in fatigue. Studies show that caffeine can enhance cognitive function and
mood, contributing to the perception of being more awake. Even though it may be
temporary, they weren’t too far from home, Charlie was the only one who could’ve
driven since Jesse was high and Parker was even more exhausted then Charlie. We
know that Becasue when the car crashed Parker was sleeping. But why is it Charlie’s
fault that Parker is that severely injured. It is also against the law for one to now wear
their seatbelt. the driver cannot be held entirely responsible for injuries if the passenger
failed to comply with basic safety measures, contributing to their own harm. Parker was
in charge of his own safety like everyone in the car. Even though Charlie was on the
phone call with his mom this shows the responsibility Charlie has on his surroundings.
He is still a young boy with a responsibility of calling his mom to tell her he’s safe. At
the end of the day we know that Charlie is not in charge of the passengers actions so
when we look at this accident, you might just see an immature boy who was in his
phone, but was he playing on his phone or was his friend holding his phone in order to
call his mom. Do we not see the presence of the passenger condemning Charlie’s
actions even though, during thier drive Parker didn’t speak up about how feels about
Charlie being on speaker with his mom. .Through this trial you have come to understand all
the answers to your questions and if your answer to those questions give you doubt that Charlie
Spector is the reason Parker Keating is severely injured my co-council and I ask and encourage
that you all think logically and reasonably to see that Charlie is not entirely at fault for this
accident. These are many key factors that many of you may of been through and saw the
struggles of driving in, like the weather, sleepiness but taking a Red Bull, passengers who don’t
follow the rules, does that give them the right to sue you for their own actions. I belive not.
Thank you for listening your honor.

exhibit 4:this is charlie’s phone, charlie’s phone was in one of the passengers hand, and that is
why his phone is face down on the floor.