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Consequences of reporting a hit-and-run after the fact
Anonymous5 views4 answers
My little sister, who is relatively young and a new driver, sideswiped a parked car last week, panicked, and drove away. I only learned that this happened yesterday. I'm trying to convince her that she needs to go to the police and report what happened, but she's terrified of the potential consequences. It happened in CA and I just researched some relevant law. Apparently what she did is a misdemeanor offense (
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes.xhtml;jsessionid=a03cfdd4da4c26df12e93b4271e3
), but she might have an option of settling it in civil court (
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml
).
Could you give me an idea of what's likely to happen if she goes to the police at this point (nearly a week later) and confesses what happened? Thank you!
If you are in an accident and leave the scene, this has both civil and criminal ramnifications. Lawyers cannot guarantee results in hit and run accident cases. Also, since you and I were not witnesses, it is difficult to state the extent of what occurred. We would be making assumptions about the facts of the auto accident and her case that may or may not be correct. Call a local attorney to discuss this with her and review the case in detail.
There are civil and criminal penalties for causing an automobile accident and then leaving the scene. Your sister would be liable for the property damage she caused as well as injuries to the driver if he or she was sitting in the car while it was parked. Furthermore, while you are likely correct that she would only be charged with a misdemeanor offense in this case, it's possible that if someone was in the car and they suffered bodily injury (or death), your sister could be charged with a felony. I would recommend retaining a lawyer to help her through this situation. It's in her best interest to not speak to anyone or sign any statements until she has consulted with an attorney.
