Weston Hit and Run Lawyer
Anyone who leaves the scene of a car crash may face severe criminal penalties depending on the amount of harm the accident caused, potentially including a permanent felony record on top of several years in prison.
An experienced Weston hit and run lawyer could help you understand why you were charged with this offense and go over your options for resolving the situation.
What Legal Responsibilities Must a Driver Abide By After a Car Crash?
Under Connecticut General Statutes §14-224, a person involved in an accident that resulted in property damage or personal injury must stop their own vehicle as soon as possible—and out of the flow of traffic, if at all possible—and render aid to anyone who needs it. In addition, they must provide their name, home address, driver’s license number, and registration number to anyone who suffered injury or property damage. Finally, they must notify local police about what happened immediately after the incident and provide the same identifying information to responding police officers.
These requirements apply no matter who—if anyone—is at fault for the incident, so even if someone else was completely to blame for a car crash, a person injured as a result still must provide identifying information and report the incident to the police. In addition to making civil recovery next to impossible, not doing so will almost always have criminal consequences, as a Weston hit and run attorney could explain in further detail.
What Are The Consequences For Leaving The Scene of an Accident?
If someone leaves the scene of an accident that only involves property damage, they have committed a class A misdemeanor offense as per C.G.S. §14-224(g)(2). If convicted, penalties they could face may include up to a year in state jail as well as between $75 and $600 in fines for a first offense. Any subsequent conviction for this offense would increase the range of potential fines to between $100 and $1,000.
Under C.G.S. §14-224(g)(1), leaving the scene of an accident resulting in physical injury is an unclassified felony offense. A conviction could be punished by a maximum of five years in prison and/or a fine of $75 to $600, which again increases to $100 to $1,000 for subsequent convictions.
Finally, C.G.S. §14-224(f) makes hit and run a Class B felony offense if it involves an accident resulting in serious physical injury or death. Since a conviction for this variant of evading responsibility comes with a prison sentence of two to 20 years as well as a $20,000 maximum fine, working with a seasoned hit and run lawyer is especially important for anyone in Weston facing this particular allegation.
Seek Help from a Weston Hit and Run Attorney
Explaining your side of the story effectively in court will be difficult without assistance from a legal professional. Get in touch with a Weston hit and run lawyer to determine your legal options. The lawyers at Mark Sherman Law have hundreds of certified 5-star reviews on Avvo.com and are ready and willing to take your call.