Leaving the place of accident is often referred as hit and run, which is considered as the serious offense in Arlington Virginia. When the individual fails to maintain the control of the vehicle and hits someone, does not provide the essential aid and personal information then he or she will be accused of hit and run in Arlington. In Virginia, both the driver and the passengers have the responsibility during the hit and run case and leaving the scene of an accident is considered as a crime.
Being a passenger has certain responsibilities and duties implied by the Virginia state law. The penalties for leaving the hit and run Arlington scene differs according to the scenario like you are a driver or a passenger, the damage only occurs to someone’s property, the attended or unattended vehicle and whether the accident caused the injury or death of the person. For the hit and run Arlington, the person may by charged with the misdemeanor or the felony depending upon the presented circumstances. Therefore, the involved punishments also vary with the charges such as penalty, imprisonment and the suspension of the license.
According to Virginia State’s law, if the driver with the unattended vehicle causes the damage to the property of less than $250 then he or she will be charged with class 4 misdemeanor. However, if the driver has caused the damage to property of the amount ranges from $250 to $1,000 with the attended or unattended vehicle, then class one misdemeanor will be implied on the driver. In extreme cases of hit and run Arlington such as the damage to property amount greater than $1,000, injury, death of the person then he or she will be charged with class five felony. The class five felony include the punishments of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
For the passengers, in a hit and run Arlington cases, the property damage can result in class one or four misdemeanors based on the circumstances. However, in the cases of injury or death with the attended property, the individual will be charged with class six felony, which involves five years of imprisonment. In case of any damage to property or any other injury or death, it is recommended that you report police within the 24 hours of the accident. The name and address of driver along with the other required information must be included in the police report.
According to Virginia code section 46.2-389, if the driver is involved in the injury or/and death of a person and discloses his or her identity then the license will be suspended for one year by DMV. However, if the individual has been convicted for four hit and run incidents, then the license will be suspended by the court for five years as described by law section 46.2-394. Therefore, if you are convicted of the hit and run case, it is necessary to consult an experienced lawyer who can fight for the charges against you and prevents you from getting harsher punishments. Hiring skilled and knowledgeable lawyer will be helpful for you to negotiate which will thereby result in favorable outcomes.