(866) 431-AMER [2637]
Long Beach Hit and Run Defense Attorney
Hit and Run
Under California law, drivers must remain at the scene of a car accident especially when there is property damage, injury or death. Failing to stop and remain at the scene of a car accident and exchange information with other parties involved in the incident is a serious crime that can result in misdemeanor or felony charges. Motorists are required to stop and remain at the scene even if the accident was in no way their fault.
The experienced Long Beach hit-and-run defense lawyers at The Amer Law Firm know how overwhelming it can be when you are involved in a traffic accident. Even though motorists may have the awareness that they need to stop and exchange information with other parties in a collision, fear, panic and anxiety can rapidly overtake common sense. However, leaving the scene of a car accident is a serious crime in California with potentially severe penalties. At The Amer Law Firm, our criminal defense lawyers aggressively defend clients facing hit-and-run charges in Long Beach.
Potential Defenses for Hit-and-Run
There are a number of potential defenses that often apply in hit-and-run cases, including:
- Lack of knowledge: You cannot knowingly leave the scene of an accident if you were unaware that you were involved in a crash. This could occur in a hit-and-run crash involving minor property damage. It could also occur in a major injury or fatal crash when the driver of a larger vehicle strikes a pedestrian or nicks a bicyclist. In such cases, the drivers may not realize that they have injured or even struck someone.
- Damages were only to your car: It is against the law to leave the scene of an accident when someone else has been injured or when there is a significant amount of property damage to someone else's car. You can fight hit-and-run charges if your vehicle was the only car damaged in the crash.
- You were not involved in the crash: Eyewitness accounts are not always reliable and mistakes can be made during the investigation of a hit-and-run crash. If you were not driving the car or if you were not involved in the accident, then, you should be not have been charged.
Hit-and-Run Penalties
It is important to consider fighting hit-and-run charges because the penalties for a conviction are severe. A misdemeanor hit-and-run conviction could result in a six-month jail sentence, up to three years of court probation, $1,000 in fines, restitution to the victims and two points on your driving record.
Those penalties are for misdemeanor hit-and-run accidents involving only property damage. If someone has been injured, the driver may face felony charges punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison sentence of up to three or even four years in state prison. In cases that involve fatalities, the driver could face vehicular manslaughter or even murder charges. A motorist may also face several other charges in connection with hit-and-run accidents including driving under the influence, speeding, driving without a valid license or driving without insurance. In California, hit-and-run is actually a wobbler, which means it can be filed as a misdemeanor or a felony at the discretion of the prosecution.
A Civil Compromise in Hit-and-Run Cases
A civil compromise is an approach that hit-and-run defense attorneys utilize to help reduce charges. A civil compromise is when the hit-and-run driver works out a deal to pay for the victim's losses. That compromise can then be used in court to show that the victim has been appropriately compensated in exchange for dismissal of the case. The court does not have to agree to allow the dismissal, but a civil compromise is still a valuable negotiation tool when determining the severity of the penalties the defendant is likely to face.
How Our Attorneys Can Help
A hit-and-run charge can turn your life upside down. If convicted of hit-and-run, you could face jail or even prison time and other consequences such as loss of employment and a permanent mark on your record. Los Angeles County officials are cracking down on hit-and-run drivers because the area has gained notoriety as the "hit-and-run capital of the nation." Do not become a statistic. Please contact The Amer Law Firm at (866) 431-2637 for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
