A car crash can be a dangerous and frightening situation. Being involved with any pedestrian accident can lead to severe or even fatal injuries. And when vehicle accidents happen, it’s important to act as fast as possible to make sure that everyone involved is safe.
If there are any vehicular accident that occur, state traffic regulations require the drivers involved to follow specific procedures right away after the incident.
Escaping from the scene is a crime
The driver who’s at fault must stay at the site after the incident happens, get any medical help for those in need, and wait for the police to arrive. Emergency services should be reached out to treat any person who got injuries, and the insurance data should be exchanged to repair any possible damage.
Fleeing from the scene of the accident will instantly increase suspicion about the driver who is at fault. The authorities may suspect that the driver might be intoxicated or had no insurance.
Unfortunately, for a countless number of accident victims across the state of Texas, the severity of their injuries is worsened by the reality that they are left unnoticed at the scene of the incident just because the driver who’s at fault left the victim.
If someone got involved in a car crash and then leaves the event site, the authorities might charge them with a hit-and-run offense. It was just recently when Texas state regulation strictly watched out for hit-and-run accidents, raising the penalties related to this kind of traffic offenses.
Penalties for hit and run cases
The legal consequences for hit-and-run are based on the degree of the damages of the accident. Escaping from a minor collision might result in only a fine, while leaving the scene of the crash that led to death may bring crime charges.
Based on the Texas Penal Code, some penalties include:
- Up to $500 fine for leaving the site of a minor car crash.
- Up to six months of imprisonment in the county jail for fleeing the scene of an accident which has an estimated damage of over $200.
- A penalty of two to ten years, and now, has been raised to a maximum of twenty years in prison for leaving the site of the accident that resulted in critical injury or fatality.
Legal Protection
Escaping from the crash site is already a big issue and can be charged with a criminal offense. Charges for hit and run don’t have to result in jail time. A professional defense attorney might be able to help you to work with the court to get the accused a period of probation instead of imprisonment for just a minor hit-and-run case.
Each case is not the same, and you might have a valid reason for not staying at the site after an accident. The defense lawyer can also argue not to suspend the defendant’s driver’s license or to lessen the suspension time frame.
Takeaway
When someone is engaged in a car accident, it is important to act quickly and remain calm. Ensuring that everyone is safe or calling an emergency service if someone is injured is the first thing to do, then insurance information should be provided and exchanged. If any police officer arrives, both drivers should stay and wait to talk with the police.