LEAVING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT
Getting involved in an accident is not a joke. It can be significantly life changing. Getting involved in a vehicular accident can cause tremendous panic to the one involved and may affect one’s sound decision-making capacity. Leaving the scene of an accident without properly speaking with the other people affected is classified as an act called “hit and run”. This is extremely serious as the offensive party can be charged with criminal offense.
Leaving the scene can be both a minor act and a major one. An accident involving only damages to property is classified as minor. Incidents such as damaging the car of another party, breaking the fence of a home, damaging street signs or street lights all belong to his category. On the other hand, incidents involving injuries or fatalities are classified as major.
The incident requires proper dealing as it is a major criminal offense if proven.
Penalties
Leaving the scene of the accident varies depending on the nature and intensity of the situation. Accidents involving damage to property involves penalties ranging from $20 to $200 and jail time of 2 weeks to a maximum 2 years. It should be noted that so long as there are no serious physical injuries involved, chances are jail penalty won’t be necessary.
For cases involving Personal Injury, fines are increased up from $500 up to $1000 plus the possibility of spending 6 months to 2 years in jail.
For cases involving the death of a third party, the driver in question can face felony charges. This means that he or she may serve up to 10 years in prison and pay as much as $5000 in fines. He may also be charged with homicide.
| TYPE |
FINES |
JAIL TERM |
| Damage to Property |
$20 to $200 |
2 weeks to 2 years |
| Personal Injury |
$500 to $1000 |
6 months to 2 years |
| Death |
$5000 |
10 years |
What to do?
Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious offense beyond description. These penalties can cause real life problems if not acted upon accordingly. It is more than imperative that upon the incident, one should call a lawyer. Experienced lawyers from our firm can provide good services when it comes to contesting and thereby having the offense dropped. The serious nature of the offense is something that should urge one to act promptly.