Hit & Run

Leaving the Scene of an Accident

Failure to Exchange Information

Criminal Vehicular Operation

Criminal Vehicular Homicide

DWI/DUI

Call our firm 24/7 at 612-760-4048 for a free consultation if you or someone you know has been contacted by police regarding a hit & run.

A “hit and run” charge (“leaving the scene of an accident” under Minn. Stat. § 169.09) can be incredibly serious. A conviction for leaving the scene of an accident in Minnesota can be a misdemeanor offense or felony offense, depending on the facts.

If a driver leaves the scene of an accident without leaving contact information, and there are no injuries, the driver can be charged with a misdemeanor hit and run. Penalties for a conviction for misdemeanor theft include a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail. The driver’s license or driving privileges may also be suspended as a result of the conviction. If the accident results in personal injuries to another person, the driver can face a fine of up to $3,000 and up to one year in jail.

A hit and run accident where another individual suffered “great bodily harm,” can be charged as a felony. Penalties include a fine of up to $4,000 and up to two years in prison. “Great bodily harm” is defined by Minnesota law as harm that results in a high risk of death, permanent disfigurement (such as scarring), or the loss of an organ. If the hit and run involves the death of another party, the penalty jumps to a $5,000 fine and up to three years in prison.

Defenses to Leaving the Scene of an Accident

There are numerous factual and legal defenses to hit & run charges in Minnesota. Minnesota also recognizes statutory defenses to a hit and run involving an injury where the defendant is able to establish that they left the scene of the collision to take any individual suffering immediately demonstrable bodily injury in the collision to receive emergency medical care, as long as the driver of the involved vehicle gives notice to a law enforcement agency as soon as reasonably feasible after the emergency medical care has been undertaken.

Wilson & Clas are experienced hit & run attorneys in Minneapolis and can help you navigate the judicial system and exercise your rights. Wilson & Clas has successfully obtained dismissals and continuances for dismissal in hit & run cases throughout Minnesota, including in Hennepin County.

Call the firm at 612-760-4048 for a free consultation with an experienced but affordable hit & run attorney, or click here.