Manassas Hit and Run Lawyer

A hit and run occurs anytime an individual is in an accident, whether the vehicle or property is attended or not, and fails to stop at the scene and give their identifying information and render help if reasonable and necessary. When a driver is in an accident involving attended property, they have a duty to stop and provide their identifying information to the police, the person injured, and/or property owner. Failing to do so is a misdemeanor if the damage is less than $1000, but is a felony if someone is injured or the damage is greater than $1000.

Additionally, people who are charged with hit and run often find themselves charged with other things as well. It’s not unusual to have a reckless driving or even a DUI charged in connection with a hit and run. It is very often the case that a person does not stop and provide their information following an accident either because they are impaired or are not aware that there has been an accident, or they do not know that they are impaired and/or they do not want to have to face consequences of a DUI. With these things in mind, a hit and run can become even more serious making it important a Manassas hit and run lawyer is contacted as soon as possible. If you have been in a hit and run in Manassas, contact an experienced local traffic defense attorney for help in defending your case.

Penalties For Hit and Run

Misdemeanor hit and run can involve a jail sentence of up to 12 months as well as a fine of up to $2,500. In addition, if a person is convicted of a misdemeanor hit and run, they can have their license suspended. More serious varieties of hit and run which involve a person being injured or there is significant damage to the property can be charged with a felony. When this is the case, a felony conviction can have a large impact, simply because of the fact of the conviction itself as well as potentially going to prison or having very heavy fines imposed in addition to the loss of license that will occur in connection with that conviction.

The penalties associated with hit and run are determined as a function of a couple of things. The first one is going to be how serious the damage was. In cases where there is a minor fender-bender, for example, are going to be treated differently than when the occupant of another vehicle was seriously injured. This can be the difference between a misdemeanor charge which is reduced or which does not carry jail time and a felony charge which can potentially carry years in prison. In addition, a person’s prior record will make a great deal of difference in a case like this. If a person is charged with a hit and run but has no prior offenses and no criminal record, then they are going to be treated differently than someone who has significant points on their license and has other serious offenses that they have been convicted of. Regardless, a hit and run attorney in Manassas should be contacted to ensure the damage of the offense is mitigated as much as possible.

Role of a Manassas Hit and Run Attorney

A Manassas hit and run lawyer can help a great deal when you are charged with a hit and run. Hit and run is a charge that is very factual and specific and in order for the government to be able to secure a conviction for a hit and run, it’s going to have to show a number of things which in many cases can be difficult. There are often cases where a person doesn’t know that they have been in an accident or have been injured, or there are some other reasons why you were not able to provide your information immediately. Hit and run is a serious charge and a tried and true defense strategy is necessary. It’s something that can trigger a license suspension and under the right circumstances, jail time, and the most serious of cases where there is an injury to a person, then a hit and run can be charged as a felony. All of these different elements and all of these different parts of hit and run can be challenged by a hit and run attorney in the Manassas court, and because of the serious consequences, a person should never try to approach one of these alone.