Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death or Serious Bodily Injury
Hit and Run Involving Serious Bodily Injury or Death in Hamilton New Jersey
Leaving the scene of an accident can mushroom into a serious felony offense when there is a victim who sustains serious bodily injury or death. If you were arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious personal injury in Hamilton, Ewing, Trenton or another municipality in Mercer County, you are facing a third degree crime. The situation is even more extreme if someone died in the accident because that triggers a second degree crime. Either grade of hit and run carries the potential for sentence of years in prison so it is all advisable to retain an accomplished defense lawyer to defend this offense.
Here at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, our team of seasoned criminal lawyers are former prosecutors who have over a century of experience defending charges at the Mercer County Superior Court in Trenton. We have been working in the trenches to secure the very best results for our clients and an attorney on our staff is prepared to battle for you.
Contact us to speak to one of our knowledgeable attorneys immediately in a free initial consultation. To speak to a lawyer with the skills to fully protect your interests, call our Hamilton Office at (609) 414-7775.
Mercer County Charge for Leaving The Scene of an Accident With Death or Serious Bodily Injury
The motor vehicle traffic offense of leaving the scene of an accident escalates sharply when serious bodily injury or death is sustained in the related hit and run. The reason is because N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.1 makes the conduct a felony indictable crime of either the third degree or second degree. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office must prove the following elements in order to convict you under this law: (1) you were the operator of a motor vehicle; (2) were knowingly involved in an accident; and (3) someone sustained serious bodily injury or death as the result of your conduct. In order for element two to be satisfied, the motorist must know that he/she was in an accident and knowingly leave the scene. “Serious bodily injury” means injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.
A third degree crime for violating 2C:12-1.1 results in a fine of up to $15,000 and 3-5 years in prison. A second degree crime for knowingly leaving the scene of an accident involving death carries 5-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000.
Pretrial intervention is available to a first time offender facing a third degree crime for knowingly leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury.
Ewing Township Leaving the Scene of an Accident Attorney
Interstate 95 is a high speed roadway that runs directly through Ewing Township so there are certainly occasions when accidents involving serious bodily injury or death occur there. If you were charged with leaving the scene in this municipality or a town like Trenton, Princeton, West Windsor, Robbinsville or East Windsor, you need to consult a savvy criminal attorney immediately. You are exposed to significant prison time and a lawyer who is experienced in criminal defense at the Trenton courthouse is going to provide you exactly what you need to avoid jail and other consequences of a conviction. Contact our Trenton Office at (609) 498-7486 to speak to one of the lawyers on our team immediately. Attorneys are available around the clock to take the calls from existing a prospective clients.