My car got stuck on a rock at the end of a street i left because no tow truck was available for 4 hours. Was charged with leaving scene and failure to
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My car got stuck on a rock at the end of a street i left because no tow truck was available for 4 hours. Was charged with leaving scene and failure to
report. A fence was supposedly damaged. The car was at the end of the street next to the curb. It was not blocking any driveways. I was going to return to the car when a tow truck was available, but the police arrived at the scene prior to my return. I plan on fighting the ticket how should i go about this.
Asked on April 13, 2009 under Accident Law, New Jersey
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
I'd suggest that you first find out what exactly you are being charged with, what the maximum possible sentence you could receive would be and consider what the potential consequences could be should you be found guilty.
In some states and under some circumstances leaving the scene is a very serious charge -- often a misdemeanor and possibly a felony -- and can carry serious consequences (including a heavy fine and/or jail time) especially if you have any prior offenses or significant tickets (such as DUI/DWIs). It could stigmatize you for decades and might even disqualify you from jobs if you need a security clearance or a license to practice a profession.
Then you can decide if it pays to speak with a criminal defense lawyer for advice (you'd have to pay for it -- few good criminal defense lawyers provide such advice for free) or to have the lawyer handle the defense. Our www.AttorneyPages.com is a great place to find very qualified lawyers who know how t defend people charged with a crime or offense.
The best defense is always getting the charges dropped or reduced by the police or prosecutor informally. This is something you can't effectively do on your own, but an experienced lawyer can often get the charges dropped or reduced so what is involved is merely a minor ticket or less.
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