It’s always frightening to be in a car accident – especially if you were at fault. In many cases of hit and run, the driver simply panics and drives away. The unfortunate part is that even though they may not have thought it through, it’s still a crime to leave the scene of a car accident. If charged with a hit and run, you could be facing either felony or misdemeanor charges. Either way, contact Law Office of Michael L. Fell at (949) 585-9055 right away for a free case evaluation.

What exactly is a hit and run?

According to California law, you are required to stop your vehicle if you’re in an accident and someone was injured, someone died, a vehicle suffered damage, the car you hit was moving or parked, or a person, or an animal or any type of property was hit.

Even if the other car was unoccupied at the time you hit it, you’re legally required to make a reasonable effort to find and notify the owner. If you don’t do these things, you could be charged with hit and run. In some cases, such as if someone is injured and you don’t offer reasonable assistance, you can be charged with a hit and run even if you weren’t responsible for the accident.

Hit and run is a wobbler offense

A wobbler offense refers to any crime that could be charged as either a felony or as a misdemeanor. IN most cases, it will be charged as a misdemeanor, but it could be charged as a felony if there was a death or serious injury in the accident. Once again, this may apply even if you didn’t cause the accident, which is why you must contact a criminal defense attorney if you’ve left the scene of any accident for any reason other than getting immediate medical attention for yourself or someone else.

The potential consequences for a hit and run accident in California

Explaining the potential consequences for a hit and run accident can be complicated. If you’re charged with hit and run causing injury as a misdemeanor, then you could be looking at up to 364 days in jail and fines of as much as $10,000. If you’re charged with the same crime but as a felony then you could be looking at up to three years in prison and fines once again of up to $10,000.

There’s another option too: You could be charged with hit and run causing serious injury or death. If charged with this crime as a misdemeanor, then you’d get at least 90 days in jail but up to 364 days. A felony would bring up to four years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

We can help with other charges too

In many cases, hit and run accidents go hand in hand with DUI cases. When you work with Law Office of Michael L. Fell, you can count on us to help with every aspect of your case. Call us today at (949) 585-9055 to get your free case evaluation.