California Hit and Run Defense Attorneys

What You Need to Know About Hit and Run Cases

After an accident, no matter how minor, California drivers are legally obligated to stop. The law requires that you stop your car, pull it away from traffic, if possible and exchange insurance information with any other drivers involved. If anyone was injured, you must offer help or call an ambulance or law enforcement if necessary. Even if you only hit a parked car or another inanimate object, you must still make efforts to either locate the owner or leave a note with your name, address and the circumstances of the accident. If you fail to do this, you could be charged with a hit and run, which could be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on how serious the accident was. This is true regardless of whether you caused the accident, or whether your insurance company decided that you were not at fault.

The law lays serious penalties on drivers who flee an accident that caused a death or a permanent injury. These drivers face a felony charge carrying up to four years in state prison, up to a year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. In addition, they may face revocation of their driver’s licenses for a year. If the accident caused a non-permanent injury, you could be incarcerated for up to a year and fined up to $10,000, plus a license suspension. If the accident caused only property damage, you will still face a misdemeanor charge carrying up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 and a possible license suspension. All of these are separate from any other charges you may face as a result of the accident.

If law enforcement suspects your vehicle of being involved in a hit and run accident, they will usually contact you by mail, asking you to bring the vehicle to a station and tell them what happened. If this happens to you, we strongly suggest that you call Wallin & Klarich before contacting law enforcement in any way. You should know your legal rights before making statements to law enforcement, because the officers who interview you will be much more experienced than you are in the law and in effective interview techniques. Anything you say to the officers may be used to charge you with fleeing the scene of an accident. The California Hit and Run attorneys at Wallin & Klarich can represent you in this interview and protect your rights.

There are many possible defenses to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident, and Wallin & Klarich has successfully defended countless clients facing that charge. In some cases, there may be problems proving that you were driving the vehicle during the accident; in other cases, the driver may not have even realized he or she caused an accident. As soon as we take your case, Wallin & Klarich attorneys will review the facts to look for situations like these that can help us get the charges dropped or reduced, or defend you in court. Call us as soon as possible for a free evaluation of your case.

At Wallin & Klarich, we approach every case with the belief that the person we’re defending could easily be one of our own family members. We’ve seen firsthand how stressful legal matters can be for our clients and their loved ones. We are committed to being available to our clients at all times — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you or someone you love is facing a hit and run charge in Southern California, you should call Wallin & Klarich today for a free evaluation of your case. Call 1-888-749-0034 or fill out our online consultation form to get in contact with a legal professional today.