There are serious penalties on individuals who violate the hit and run laws in Chesterfield Virginia. In the state, it is considered as a serious crime where the conviction will forever remain on the permanent criminal record of the driver. Typically, hit and run offense is referred to as ‘Failure to Report an Accident.’
Requirements for Virginia driver involved in an accident
In case of an accident, it is must for an individual driving in Virginia to stop at the scene of an accident in which they are involved. No matter if you caused the accident or not, the hit and run laws in Virginia bound individuals to provide personal details such as name, address, driver’s license number, and vehicle registration information. In addition, they should also render “reasonable assistance” to an injured, if any.
Evidence of hit and run charge in Virginia
It does not matter which car was involved in the accident, if the driver fails to report it, they are charged with Virginia hit and run offense. A driver is at risk of being charged for hit and run if:
- They fail to report the accident to the authorities
- Their car makes physical contact with a person, vehicle, or object
- The accident results in injury, death, or property damage
Damage to unoccupied property
According to the Virginia hit and run law, a driver who does not report an accident that involves an unattended property is considered as a criminal. Unattended property is known as unoccupied property.
Damage to occupied property, injury or death
According to Va. Code §46.2-894, it is a criminal activity to not report an accident that involves attended property, death, or injury. For instance, the attended property is known as occupied property.
Duty of passengers to report an accident
In Virginia, it is not only the driver’s duty to report an accident if they have other passengers in the car as well. The car passengers can be charged with a hit and run in Chesterfield Virginia if the passenger is 16 years or older and knows that the driver failed to report the accident. Their duty is to contact the law enforcement to report the accident in a matter of 24 hours. In case they fail to report an accident, they can be convicted of this offense under Va. Code §46.2-895 (if the hit and run involved occupied property, injury or death) or Va. Code §46.2-897 (if the hit and run involved unoccupied property).
A passenger will be convicted of a hit and run charge if:
- the offender was a passenger involved in an accident
- the offender was 16 years or older
- the offender knew about the accident
- the offender knew that the driver failed to report the accident, and
- the offender, themselves, failed to report the accident within 24 hours