An unnamed woman (59) sustained serious injuries after a hit-and-run on Third Street close to Revere Avenue in the Bayview neighborhood. Local law enforcement officials are still looking for the driver of a dark sedan that drove away after the incident. The woman who was hit was immediately sent to San Francisco General Hospital where she was treated for internal injuries; her current status is unknown.
Under California law, a person may be charged with either misdemeanor hit-and-run or felony hit-and run (CA Vehicle Code §20002). In order to be accused of a misdemeanor hit-and-run, you must have left the scene of an accident without having identified yourself and have damaged property during the course of the incident. Thus, misdemeanor hit-and-run charges are based on the damaging of property.
However, felony hit-and-run charges are based, not on property damage, but on injury. If you are involved in a vehicular accident in which someone else was either injured or killed – and you left the scene without identifying yourself – then you could be charged with a California felony hit-and-run. Depending on the seriousness of the injuries, for example, the person who caused the unnamed 59-year-old pedestrian to be admitted to the hospital will face strict penalties and fines.
Even a misdemeanor hit-and-run conviction means the possibility of 6 months in jail, 2 points on your driving record, and a maximum fine of $1,000. Felony charges of this kind mean from 3-4 years in state prison and up to a $10,000 fine. In the case of the driver of the dark sedan, the individual is likely to be charged with a felony hit-and-run and, because of the serious nature of the woman’s injuries, would, if convicted, likely end up spending 4 years in jail.
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