What is considered to be a hit and run?
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What is considered to be a hit and run?
I was driving last night and at the toll booth, a cab was stopped in the middle lane. I went around them and they started coming into my lane and our cars scraped against each other. I was at the toll so I went through the EZ pass lane. I pulled over on the other side. I got out, assuming the other driver would pull over as well. It was dark and there were a lot of cars passing through but I didn’t see the cab come through the booth and they never stopped behind me so I left. I’m worried they may say it was my fault and there were cameras. Is this a hit and run?
Asked on December 15, 2011 under Accident Law, Connecticut
Answers:
L.P., Member, Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Thank you for your question regarding what is considered a hit and run accident. As with all car accident and traffic violations, the laws governing this area will depend on the state in which you are traveling and/or the state of the insurance policies involved in the accident. The being said, there are some common themes seen throughout auto liability accidents across the states.
Chances are if there are cameras around where this accident occurred, then it may have caught what happened during the accident and/or it might have picked up your vehicle pulling over. This will assist with your story that you pulled over. However, you may have nothing to worry about at all if the driver never pulled over.
While it seems somewhat difficult to believe, because you are obviously the type of person to pull over after an accident, your situation is not an uncommon one, because there are a lot of drivers out there driving around without car insurance and/or without a valid driver’s license. Also there are drivers who have arrest warrants and will do whatever they can to avoid the police being called to an accident, this means that even if someone else causes an accident, they are not going to pull over.
In this situation you did all you could do. When you noticed what happened, you pulled over. If you do get a call from your insurance company or the other driver if they track your vehicle then you can handle this as you would any other accident, but at this point, it is unlikely you would ever be charged for a hit and run.
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