If you are faced with charges for a Los Angeles Hit and Run, there are several different consequences you may face. This could have a lasting impact on your record and your day to day life.
Jail Sentence
In some cases, you may be facing some jail time. This is common in cases where there is extensive damage to property, or there is injury to a person. A jail sentence is not standard in every hit and run case, but can be in egregious cases that give rise to a felony.
If you have been charged with a Los Angeles Hit and Run, it is important to remember that you have not been convicted of any crimes at this point. Before you can be convicted, you have to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury, or have entered a plea of guilty.
If you are convicted of a Hit and Run, the potential sentence is not set in stone, it varies upon different factors. These factors including the facts of the case, as well as your own criminal background.
If your case involves property damage, it falls under California Vehicle Code §20002. The potential sentence is imprisonment in the county jail, not exceeding six months, or a fine, not to exceed $1,000, or both.
To determine the possible consequences of a hit and run offense, you must first determine which Vehicle Code Section the conviction was made under.
It is important to remember that a person has not been convicted until the person has been found guilty or has entered a plea of guilty. If a person has simply been arrested, they are simply being charged and are not convicted. To be convicted of an offense, there must be a trial or a voluntary plea. There can be no sentence issued, unless the person has been convicted.
If a Hit and Run involves injury to a person, the person that has been convicted will be charged under California Vehicle code §20001(b)(1). The statute states that a person who has been found guilty under this section will “be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail for not more than one year, or by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine”
Los Angeles Hit and Run Lawyer Blog