What Happens if I Am Guilty of a Hit-and-Run?

Immediately following your seemingly unexpected auto accident, it may be understandable that your flight-or-fight gets activated and your initial instinct is to flee the scene. However, you must think twice and remain put. Otherwise, you may be accessed and later on charged for a hit-and-run. Evidently, this is considered a serious criminal offense in the state of Tennessee. So, without further ado, please follow along to find out what happens if you are found guilty of a hit-and-run and how one of the proficient Montgomery County criminal defense lawyers at Fendley and Etson can help your case in any way.

What happens if I am found guilty of a hit-and-run in the state of Tennessee?

Well, it is important to stay at the scene of your auto accident for the sake of your insurance claim and, more importantly, to receive immediate, necessary medical attention. But more of a reason to stay is not to get found guilty of a hit-and-run offense later on.

Firstly, you may be charged with a Class C misdemeanor if you are found to have caused property damage in any capacity to the other driver’s or drivers’ automobile(s). This may carry penalties such as a $50 fine; a jail sentence of up to 30 days; mandatory driver’s education classes; and a temporary driver’s license suspension.

Secondly, this charge may be upgraded to a Class A misdemeanor if your hit-and-run accident resulted in the other driver(s) becoming seriously injured. This may come with a fine of up to $2,500; a jail sentence of up to one year; mandatory driver’s education classes; and a temporary driver’s license suspension.

Lastly, in a worst-case scenario, your accident may have resulted in the fatality of one or more involved drivers. The Tennessee criminal court may conclude that you should have reasonably known that your collision could have resulted in death. With this, they may charge you with a Class E felony. This is associated with penalties such as a fine of up to $3,000; a prison sentence of anywhere between one to six years; and a permanent driver’s license revocation.

What if I was intoxicated at the time of my hit-and-run incident?

Sadly, evidence produced in your criminal proceedings may demonstrate that you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of your hit-and-run incident. Inevitably, you may face additional criminal liability for this. Namely, you may be charged with reckless driving or vehicular homicide, depending on the specifics surrounding this event. Then, these charges come with their own subset of criminal penalties, which may be even worse than those mentioned above.

In conclusion, this blog is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to criminal laws in the state of Tennessee. So for more information, please reach out to one of the talented Montgomery County criminal defense lawyers from Fendley and Etson today.