Guide to Hit and Run in Covington, Louisiana

What is Hit and Run (Louisiana Law RS 14:100)?

As described and explained by Louisiana law, Hit-and-run refers to a process where the driver of a vehicle intentionally refuses to stop his/her vehicle after being involved in an accident to give his identity or to render aid as a result of their responsible behavior.

The driver of the vehicle must give their identity. Their identity includes their name, address, license number of the vehicle and has to report the accident to the police. The vehicle could also include warcraft. And the accident includes an event that would cause an injury to someone it damages to property.

What are the Penalties for Hit-and-Run?

As you know already, the penalties are quite serious. If you cannot get yourself free, you may have to live important years of your life behind bars and with or, rarely, without labor.

That isn’t all, you would also be charged with an amount large enough to see you through years of discomfort without working. Below are some of the penalties that you could face if you’re not well defended:

     Anyone who is convicted of a hit and run but no one died and there is no serious injury on the body, you shall pay a fine that is no higher than five hundred dollars or get imprisoned for a time not higher than 6 months, or you could be sentenced for both these penalties. This happens when the prosecutors have evidenced the operator of the vehicle was driving under the influence or using controlled dangerous substance during the accident, and the accident was caused because the operator was not fully themselves. This could make the driver continue driving without stopping to give his identity and he wouldn’t render this aid knowing their actions could cause a present, past or future proceeding or investigation

     If caught for this crime and serious bodily injury or death occurred because of the accident and the operator of the vehicle knew that they caused such bodily harm and death, the penalty would be a fine that won’t be higher than five thousand dollars, and they could be imprisoned without or with hard labor for a period that is less than 10 years. You could also suffer both these penalties.

Anyone who is convicted of hit and run in situations where these conditions occurred shall get imprisonment without or with hard labor for more than five years but not more than 20 years;

     Serious bodily injury or death as a direct result of the accident.

     The driver intentionally knew that the vehicle they were driving has caused such an accident.

     If the driver has been convicted of some of the following crimes;

     Driving while intoxicated

     Driving under the influence

     Driving while impaired

     Getting convicted of one of the above charges on two or more cases over ten years of this crime.

     Negligent Injuring

     Vehicular Homicide

     Vehicular Negligent Injuring.

What must the Prosecutors prove against you before you can get convicted of a Hit and Run?

The prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you intentionally having full knowledge that your vehicle committed and accident and you fled. Instead of taking responsibility and offering reasonable aid to those caught in the accident and its crossfire.

What are your defenses if you’re charged with the crime?

You would need a Covington criminal attorney like the ones at the Barkemeyer Law Firm. However, here are some of the defenses that you can claim:

     That the act wasn’t done to run away and not offering reasonable aid. A good attorney would see to it that your stance is clearly stated and your charges cleared.

     That the occurrence was a mistake

     That you had no idea an accident took place because of how you were in a hurry to catch up on your destination.

     That the defendant is, or was, mentally ill at the time.

How do you get rid of the Hit and Run charges?

As seen above, the penalties gotten from Hit and Run charges are serious and terrible. The worst thing that can happen is suffering all these penalties when you might not have intentionally committed the crime.

A proficient attorney with a successful track record is hard to find, especially one that is well-grounded in the Louisiana laws. Our hit and run attorneys are one of the few great attorneys around. He is one of the best you can find and you don’t even need to search too far. Mr. Barkemeyer will help you get all the charges dropped by properly paying serious attention to detail. His is to make sure no stone is unturned while making these charges go away.