It is called a mandated report. Look it up. Anyone who suspects child/elder/any type of abuse is required by the courts to report it. If you wife is under that assumption then she is mistaken.
Speaking of the pickup driver, it is totally legit that he gets a ticket and hopefully his ass thrown in jail. Yes, he was a victim of circumstance but he was breaking the law. Driving on a suspended license. Why did he have is license revoked? Drunk driving maybe? Who knows but the point is that he had not right to be behind the wheel in the first place and if he was obeying the law then he would not have been in the car to get hit.
