If you are in a car accident that involved other people or property belonging to someone else, you have the legal duty to stop at the scene of the accident and remain there until the police arrive and get your information. Failing to do this could get you in legal trouble, unless you have no knowledge that the incident occurred, or unless you have a valid excuse. If you receive a ticket or notice in the mail stating that you were involved in a hit and run, you may need to get legal help to get out of the situation.

Your Legal Responsibility

When an accident occurs, anyone involved has the legal obligation to stop to see what damage was done, and to take responsibility for their involvement in the incident. Failing to do this is called a hit and run, and hit and run cases can have major consequences, which include:

• Traffic violations – In some cases, the consequence of leaving the scene of an accident will only result in minor traffic violations.
• Fines – A hit and run could also result in large fines that you must pay.
• Criminal charges – There are also times when hit and run cases result in criminal charges against the person that left the scene, and this could lead to prison time.

To avoid these consequences, you should never leave an accident scene until the police tell you that you can go. If the police were not called to the scene, you should not leave until you have spoken to the other people that were involved in the accident. If the accident was not your fault, you should also get the names of any bystanders that may have witnessed the incident.

There are times, though, when leaving the scene might be the only option you have. If this is the case, you may need to hire a lawyer to defend you against the charges or traffic violations brought against you for this incident.

Defenses For Hit and Run Violations

If you are notified that you were part of a hit and run case, here are some defenses you could use that might help you get out of the charges and traffic violations:

• You didn't know it happened – There are times when hit and run cases occur, without one of the drivers even knowing about it. If you did not feel anything or see anything, you may have kept driving simply because you didn't know that an accident occurred.
• You didn't know there was damage – Another defense you could use is that you did not realize that the incident caused damage. In this case, you may have known a minor accident took place, but your defense could be that there didn't appear to be any damage, injuries, or problems from the incident.
• Someone made you leave – It is also possible that you left the scene because someone made you leave. This could have been a person that was in your car, someone that was standing on the side of the road, or anyone else involved.
• You felt threatened – Another possible defense to use is that you left because you felt threatened and in danger by the other party involved in the accident.
• There was an emergency – It is also possible to use the defense that you left simply because you were in an emergency situation. Maybe you were traveling to the hospital because your child was really sick, or maybe you were bringing your pregnant wife to the hospital.

If you have a legitimate reason for leaving the hit and run scene, you may be able to get the traffic violations dropped. If you would like to get help for a situation like this, talk to a company that offers legal services for traffic tickets and violations, such as We Defend.