Arrest Made in Fatal Hit and Run in SF Visitacion Valley (CA Vehicle Code 20001)

Local law enforcement officials say that an 80-year-old was attempting to walk from Visitacion Avenue onto Bayshore Boulevard when she was hit by a white Dodge Durango driven by 31-year-old (name withheld in order to protect the privacy of the accused) of San Francisco.  It seems that the accused not only drove away from the scene of the accident, but doubled-back to see what had happened before eventually leaving altogether.  He has been arrested on felony hit and run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

In the state of California, felony hit and run crimes involve serious injury or death (CA Vehicle Code 20001).  Of course, any time you leave the scene of an accident you have been involved in, you run the risk of being accused of a hit and run.  However, the penalties could be much more serious if another party has been killed or seriously injured.  It doesn’t matter whose fault the accident was, even if you weren’t the cause of the accident, you could still be arrested on hit-and-run charges if you flee the scene.  The crime of hit and run is considered a ‘wobbler’ in California.  This means that this crime could be prosecuted either as a felony or as a misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances.  Usually, prosecutors will take into account all of the specific facts of each individual case in order to make this determination.

If you are convicted of a felony hit and run, then you may find yourself facing anywhere from a $1,000 to a $10,000 fine.  In addition, you could spend up to 3 years in prison.  However, you could spend 4 years in prison if death or serious injury is involved.