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All hit-and-run cases are different. No one can be certain how we might react to extreme emotions like fear and panic. The precise circumstances of a hit-and-run mishap, and how you act or react, are crucial elements in determining innocence or guilt. After an accident in Colorado, you are required by law to stop as soon as possible and remain at the scene. A driver must exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver, and in serious accidents, you must remain until law enforcement arrives, investigates, and dismisses you. Additionally, the law requires you to provide reasonable assistance to anyone injured in the accident, such as calling for medical assistance and waiting for help to arrive. If you do not stop, you may be arrested and charged with a hit-and-run.
Hit And Run Penalties
If you have been charged with a hit-and-run crime, you face severe penalties that vary depending on the details of the case. Colorado law recognizes four categories of hit-and-runs:
- If the accident only involves property damage, it is a Class-2 misdemeanor (up to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines).
- If the accident causes an injury, it is a Class-1 misdemeanor (up to 18 months in jail and $5,000 in fines).
- If the accident causes a serious bodily injury, it is a Class-5 felony (up to 3 years in prison and fines up to $500,000).
- Finally, if the accident causes a death, it is a Class-3 felony (up to 12 years in prison and fines up to $750,000).
Charges against you can be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony. Depending on the situation, penalties can include a suspension of your license or an automatic revocation of your driver’s license.
The penalties often depend on the type of accident. For instance, if your hit-and-run accident involved an injury, you are likely to face a class I misdemeanor offense charge, which comes with a jail sentence of up to one year. You would lose your driver’s license if convicted. You may also face a civil lawsuit if the victim decides to submit a personal injury claim to request compensation.
However, if you leave the scene of an accident where someone was killed, then you face Class III Felony Offense charges. If convicted, you could spend up to 12 years in prison. You may also face a wrongful death lawsuit where you may have to compensate the victim’s family for their loss of companionship, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Penalties may become more stringent depending on whether alcohol and drug use were factors in the accident. Broadly, even though hit-and-run offenses fall under the category of traffic offenses, they may not always be treated as such. For one thing, there’s widespread public revulsion for motorists who leave the scene of an accident. These incidents may be widely reported in the media, and there is little tolerance for a person who hits another car, and leaves the scene of an accident, knowing that the accident has probably resulted in injuries to the occupants of the other vehicle.
Speak to a Denver criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Make no mistake – these charges are extremely serious. Schedule a consultation with a Denver criminal defense attorney today.
A Winning Defense
A winning defense for a hit-and-run charge will require the skills and talents of an experienced Denver DUI lawyer like Daniel M. Murphy. Hit-and-run charges in Denver, Colorado, can sometimes be difficult to prove, so there are a number of defenses that are commonly used.
Very often, there are no witnesses to these crimes, or even if there are witnesses, eyewitness testimony may not be completely accurate. This can be used to poke holes in the prosecutor’s case and lead to a favorable outcome for your case. Often, these cases go to trial, so having an experienced hit-and-run trial attorney on your side is an absolute must.
In many cases, Denver hit and run defense lawyer finds that the defendant left the scene because he or she was not aware of the accident. For instance, a motorist driving a large car like an SUV or pickup truck at night on a dark street could be involved in a collision with a pedestrian without even realizing it. A pedestrian dressed in black, and walking at night on a poorly lit road, may simply not be visible to the motorist. The motorist may continue to drive on, without realizing that she has collided with a pedestrian or bicyclist, and this has resulted in injuries. In other cases, people don’t believe the damage is very heavy, and if the other motorist looks like he’s uninjured, they simply drive away from the scene without waiting for the police to arrive in the area.
For you to be convicted of hit-and-run, it is important for you to be driving the car at the time of the accident. If you were not driving the car, there may be ways that your attorney can use this to get the charges against you lowered.
Denver hit-and-run attorney Dan Murphy has represented hundreds of clients in vehicle-related cases that include leaving the scene, hit-and-run, and vehicular homicide. With over 25 years of background as a Denver hit-and-run attorney, Dan Murphy will use his legal talents to defend you aggressively against a hit-and-run charge. Dan is a former public defender with extensive experience in the Denver-area court system.
If you are charged with hit-and-run, you could face jail, fines, and license suspension or revocation. If the injuries in the cash were serious, or if drugs or alcohol were also involved, the probability and the length of potential jail time increase. In any hit-and-run case, you’re going to need experienced, quality legal assistance. Top defense lawyers recommend that you do not speak to police officers prior to requesting legal help. Denver County attorneys can review your case, address your concerns, and work tirelessly to fight the charges brought against you by the state.
An Experienced Denver Hit and Run Attorney
After assessing your case, Denver defense attorney, Dan Murphy will outline your legal options to you and begin to develop the best possible defense strategy for your case. Dan offers a friendly office environment for clients to discuss their legal needs. He will move you past the legal red tape, answer your questions, and save you from wasting time, resources, and emotional anxiety. Dan Murphy has experience defending clients in the city of Denver in cases involving drunk driving, marijuana possession, child abuse, and other charges. Please schedule your free consultation with Daniel M. Murphy today!
