Hit and Run

Fresno Hit-And-Run Lawyer

If you left the scene of an accident you were involved in without informing the other party, you could be looking at serious felony hit-and-run charges and need an experienced Fresno hit-and-run lawyer representing you.

A motorist involved in an accident is required to stop and exchange contact information with the other driver in the accident. Specifically, a motorist involved in a crash must:

• Stop immediately
• Exchange contact information with the other parties involved in the accident
• Provide your driver’s license information and the name and address of the registered owner of the vehicle

If you fail to do even one of the above, you may be charged with hit and run.

You must stop, exchange contact information and provide your driver’s license information, even if you were not at fault in the accident. If the accident was not your fault, and you left the scene of the accident, you could still face misdemeanor hit-and-run charges.

Hit-and-run charges may also apply to you even if there were no occupants in the other car. For instance, if you hit a car while backing out of a parking lot, you are still required to provide the other motorist your contact information. In such cases, you are required to write down your name, address, driver’s license number, and contact information and place it in a conspicuous place.

Out of the three conditions that must be met for hit-and-run charges to be filed, judges and juries are likely to look most severely upon the failure to stop immediately after a crash. If a motorist drives away from the scene of an accident, it is much easier to believe that the driver was trying to escape accountability for the accident.

Hit-and-run charges may be categorized as either a misdemeanor or felony. Typically, you may be charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run if there is only property damage involved. However, if the accident involved physical injury to the other motorists or occupants of the other car involved in the crash, the charges are usually elevated to felony. Felony hit-and-run charges are extremely serious, and could result in significant jail time.  Whether you are charged with either a misdemeanor or felony hit-and-run, it is imperative to contact a Fresno hit-and-run defense attorney immediately.