Monday, October 22, 2012

Three Accidents Result in Drivers Leaving the Scene

Three accidents resulted in drivers leaving the scene of an accident. In the first, the Worth County Sheriff's Department reports that someone ran through a fence at a farm south of Grant City on October 16th.

In the second accident, the Sheriff's Department reports that a vehicle hit a pole south of Allendale and then drove off on October 16th. The pole was leaning over and KCP&L crews were called, but power did not go out.

On October 19th, the Sheriff’s Department reports that someone lost control on Route H just north of the Sheridan Schoolhouse and ran into the ditch. The driver abandoned their car and left their flashers on.

In Missouri, leaving the scene of an accident is a Class A Misdemeanor. A person commits the crime of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident when being the operator or driver of a vehicle on the highway or on any publicly or privately owned parking lot or parking facility generally open for use by the public and knowing that an injury has been caused to a person or damage has been caused to property, due to his culpability or to accident, he leaves the place of the injury, damage or accident without stopping and giving his name, residence, including city and street number, motor vehicle number and driver's license number, if any, to the injured party or to a police officer, or if no police officer is in the vicinity, then to the nearest police station or judicial officer.

Class A Misdemeanors can include imprisonment of up to one year in a local or county jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Leaving the Scene can be a Class D Felony if the accident resulted in physical injury to another party, property damage in excess of $1,000, or if the defendant has previously pled guilty to or has previously been found guilty of a violation. A Class D Felony can result in imprisonment of up to 4 years and a fine of up to $5,000. Generally, Missouri does not permit the expungement of a felony offense, with certain narrow exceptions.

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