I hear about cases like this all the time, and they make my stomach turn a little. Getting into a car accident can be a very scary thing. It can shock the system. And if you've never experienced it before you may not know what to do. I have an example that portrays it perfectly.
A friend of mine who lives up in Seattle recently got into a car accident. He had never been in a car accident before. He had never had any trouble with the law before. And one night, on his way home from a softball game, he wasn't paying attention and nearly ran completely through a stop sign. Thankfully she saw it early enough to get slowed down, but it wasn't early enough to prevent her from making some contact with a vehicle that was crossing the intersection at that time. Because he was near a friends house, in a shock and panic he went over there and waited to see what would happen. In a short amount of time the Seattle cops had located his vehicle and were knocking on the door.
Because the guy was in shock and wasn't trying to run from his obligation (he had insurance and was doing everything legally except stopping at the stop sign), he answered the door and answered the officer's questions. And then he was charged with hit and run of an attended vehicle (this means that someone was in it).
In Seattle, a hit and run attended can be a very serious crime. If a person is killed or seriously injured, it can be a Class B felony, carrying with it a whole bunch of problems. If, like in this case, no one was injured, it is still a gross misdemeanor, meaning you could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Additionally, you face a driver's license suspension that could be very lengthy. In other words, this is not a case to handle lightly. You need a Seattle DUI lawyer and/or Seattle criminal lawyer to help you navigate your way through this.
With the right facts, it is likely that you won't face any jail time and will only have to face a small fine. But, you need a good criminal lawyer to help you present your case with the best foot forward to the prosecutor. Otherwise, you could be facing serious jail time, a driver's license suspension, and a mark on your driving record for some time to come.
In my buddy's case, I told him to sit tight, hire a good Seattle criminal lawyer, and everything would probably work out all right. And it ended up being resolved in a way he could live with. Just remember, if you get in an accident, don't leave. It doesn't help you, it doesn't help others involved in the accident, and it doesn't help the overall situation.
A friend of mine who lives up in Seattle recently got into a car accident. He had never been in a car accident before. He had never had any trouble with the law before. And one night, on his way home from a softball game, he wasn't paying attention and nearly ran completely through a stop sign. Thankfully she saw it early enough to get slowed down, but it wasn't early enough to prevent her from making some contact with a vehicle that was crossing the intersection at that time. Because he was near a friends house, in a shock and panic he went over there and waited to see what would happen. In a short amount of time the Seattle cops had located his vehicle and were knocking on the door.
Because the guy was in shock and wasn't trying to run from his obligation (he had insurance and was doing everything legally except stopping at the stop sign), he answered the door and answered the officer's questions. And then he was charged with hit and run of an attended vehicle (this means that someone was in it).
In Seattle, a hit and run attended can be a very serious crime. If a person is killed or seriously injured, it can be a Class B felony, carrying with it a whole bunch of problems. If, like in this case, no one was injured, it is still a gross misdemeanor, meaning you could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Additionally, you face a driver's license suspension that could be very lengthy. In other words, this is not a case to handle lightly. You need a Seattle DUI lawyer and/or Seattle criminal lawyer to help you navigate your way through this.
With the right facts, it is likely that you won't face any jail time and will only have to face a small fine. But, you need a good criminal lawyer to help you present your case with the best foot forward to the prosecutor. Otherwise, you could be facing serious jail time, a driver's license suspension, and a mark on your driving record for some time to come.
In my buddy's case, I told him to sit tight, hire a good Seattle criminal lawyer, and everything would probably work out all right. And it ended up being resolved in a way he could live with. Just remember, if you get in an accident, don't leave. It doesn't help you, it doesn't help others involved in the accident, and it doesn't help the overall situation.
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