An argument between a man and woman lead to the woman hitting the man with her car and fleeing the scene.  The Burbank Police Department spokesman said that the male was transported to the hospital with complaints of pain.

In California, this type of hit-and-run is a felony and is charged under Vehicle Code Section 20001.  A hit-and-run occurs when someone leaves the scene of an accident without first identifying themselves to the other party.  In the case of a felony hit-and-run (VC 20001), this carries punishment of between 16 months to 3 years in state prison and a fine between $1,000 to $10,000.  There will also be penalties from the DMV for any hit-and-run conviction which can run from points on your license to a license suspension or revocation.

Felony hit-and-run charges are “wobblers” in California.  This means that it is up to the prosecutor wether or not to file the case as a felony or as a misdemeanor.  Much of this decision comes from facts of the case, the suspect’s prior criminal history, mitigating or aggravating factors regarding the incident and the early interaction of a skilled and aggressive criminal defense attorney.

Attorney Ross Erlich is experienced in contacting and opening up a line of communication with law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office before any criminal charges have been filed. This allows for your side of the story to be told to the prosecutor before they make a filing decision and allows for the possibility of reduced charges or no criminal charges being filed at all.

Law enforcement and the local prosecutor’s offices in Southern California take hit-and-run charges very seriously.  If you have noticed in the past couple years, hit-and-run incidents have been getting a lot of media press and state lawmakers have not only sought to increase penalties for these crimes, they are starting increased public safety measures against those who commit a hit-and-run.  Attorney Ross Erlich has experience in dealing with these incidents early on, while law enforcement is still conducting their investigation, and has worked to get charges reduced or prevented altogether.

There are many ways to resolve a hit-and-run in Los Angeles so contact attorney Ross Erlich today if you would like to learn more and have a free case consultation.