Los Angeles Hit And Run Offense And It’s Legal Consequences

California laws are very harsh to the potential offenders, especially when it comes to the car accidents as well as hit and run offenses. There are two types of hit and run offenses – the misdemeanor one and the felony. A misdemeanor hit and run offense is when a person damages one’s property and then leaves the scene of the accident without notifying any other parties involved or contacting the authorities. On the other hand, a hit and run offenses is considered a felony in case a person injures or kills another person or a group of individuals during the accident and then leaves the scene without notifying the authorities or any other parties involved. A person can be charged for a hit and run offense even in case he or she did not produce the accident to begin with. Just leaving the scene without identifying yourself to any other parties involved or without notifying the authorities is also considered a crime.

Generally, the punishment for a hit and run offense is determined in accordance with the situation. A misdemeanor offense is punishable with up to $1000 dollars in fines and up to 6 months in jail, whereas a hit and run felony is punishable with up to $10 000 in fines and up to 3 years in jail.

To help you understand the situation, lets review a couple of examples of misdemeanor hit and run offenses and their legal consequences. Lets say you were driving home in the middle of a dark and rainy night. The road is wet and the vision is blurred, so you decide to stop and check if your lights are still working properly. As soon as you hit the brakes, you hit a tree that falls on some shed. The shed is destroyed. You immediately find the nearby house and try knocking on the door several times. There is no answer, so you decide to write down your contact information on a piece of paper and place it on the door. You then get back to your car and drive back home. Little that you know – the rain destroys the paper and the next morning you open the door to a couple of law enforcement officers, who charge you with a misdemeanor hit and run offense. In court, you describe the situation and, seeing that you have no priors, the judge lets you go with only a fine.

On the other hand, if you were getting back from a party while being a bit drunk, hit someone’s fence and left the scene, the situation will differ. The judge will have reasons to believe that you were driving under the influence of alcohol and therefore will punish you accordingly. One way or the other, regardless of what kind of hit and run situation you found yourself in, it is very important to have a qualified Los Angeles criminal lawyer by your side to help in developing a proper legal defense strategy. Only will an experienced attorney be able to alleviate the legal consequences, so you will not be forced to spend several years in jail. We all make mistakes and it is very important not to allow those mistakes to ruin our lives, especially if we are talking about a simple misdemeanor offense. Perhaps you did not know that you produced the accident to begin with and this makes you ineligible for all the accusations. A good Los Angeles hit and run lawyer will prove his use in court indeed.