You panicked, you had a drink, you didn't have insurance, or you genuinely didn't realize you'd clipped that car in the lot, and you kept driving. A hit-and-run charge in the Central Valley is less about the collision and more about leaving, and that distinction is where these cases are won. Request a free consultation before you make a statement.
California makes it a crime to leave the scene of a crash without stopping to identify yourself and help, and the level depends on what was damaged. Leaving after a property-only crash is typically a misdemeanor. Leaving a collision where someone was injured or killed can be charged as a felony, with real jail or prison exposure, license consequences, and restitution. Notice what the charge actually requires: the prosecution doesn't have to prove the crash was your fault, only that you knew it happened and left anyway.
The defense often centers on identity and awareness. Can they actually place you behind the wheel? Did you know a collision occurred? Was there a genuine emergency, or did you stop and exchange information in a way the report ignored? We test the witness accounts and the physical damage against the story the DA is telling.
You want someone who has charged these and knows where they fall apart. Request a free consultation.