Your collision with another motor vehicle on the road may have been unexpected and seemingly out of nowhere. In a state of shock, your fight or flight mode may be activated, and you may hastily decide to speed away and pretend the incident never happened. Well, what you may have done is coined as a hit-and-run accident. Even though you may have been the victim of the accident itself, you may ultimately get in trouble for fleeing the scene. With all that being said, please continue reading to learn whether it is a crime to leave the scene of an auto accident and how an experienced Morris County, New Jersey criminal defense lawyer at Macri Law Firm can help you understand what you should do instead.
Is it considered a crime to leave the scene of an auto accident?
Under specific circumstances, your leaving the scene of an auto accident may constitute a criminal act. Namely, this is if your collision resulted in the injury or death of another involved party. Otherwise, if you only caused property damage, you may be charged with a traffic violation. But neither option allows you to evade serious legal consequences. These consequences read as follows:
- If your hit-and-run accident involved property damage:
- Jail time of up to 30 days.
- Fines of $200 to $400.
- Driver’s license suspension of up to 30 days.
- Up to two points on your driver’s license.
- If your hit-and-run accident involved injury or death:
- Prison time of three to five years.
- Fines of up to $15,000.
- Driver’s license suspension of up to one year.
- Up to eight points on your driver’s license.
What should I do instead after my auto accident?
The standard procedure following an auto accident starts with pulling your vehicle over and away from traffic flow if it is safe for you to do so. Then, you may exit your vehicle, if you are not in any physical pain or identify any visible injuries, and check on the well-being of the other involved parties. You should provide any reasonable assistance on their behalf and call law enforcement and emergency medical services to respond to the scene.
Once this is all taken care of, the main reason for staying on the scene after your accident is to exchange information with the other driver(s). This information is deemed necessary for a future auto insurance claim to recover from any incurred property damages upon impact. Specifically, you must be willing to share your full legal name, mailing address, phone number/email, driver’s license number, license plate number, insurance policy number, vehicle make, model, and year, etc.
But if this ship has sailed already, and you are caught after leaving the scene, you must retain the services of a skilled Morris County, New Jersey criminal defense lawyer. Our team at Macri Law Firm will step in to represent you in an instant.
