It’s a very bad idea to flee the scene of an accident, but even more so when you’re drunk. However, a person who is intoxicated is not thinking clearly and often is very fuzzy-headed. Sometimes, they may realize they are weaving and overcorrect right into another car.
In fact, just this past week, Bishop Robert J. McManus of Worcester, MA, allegedly struck police dispatcher John L. Smith at an intersection in Rhode Island. Fortunately, Smith wasn’t seriously injured. He called 911 and followed the car that hit him about two miles until it pulled into a driveway. McManus has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor drunk driving charges and leaving the scene of property damage. He is at this point also confronting the issue of leaving the bishop-hood altogether. This is the issue – in most cases, when you are driving under the influence and strike another car, you are exacerbating your problems. Witnesses often take down license plate numbers. Police investigate. And then the offender gets charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene, which increases the penalties significantly.
Except in Colorado. In an unusual twist, Colorado state laws punish drunk drivers who stay ON the scene more severely than they do drivers who flee the scene of a crash that they caused. It turns out that drinking-related offences lead to 25% longer jail sentences than those of someone convicted of a hit-and-run.
At the law offices of attorney Gregg A. Wisotsky, Esq., Partner, Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, PC, we offer prospective clients charged with crimes a free phone consultation. We can answer your questions, explain your rights and help you understand your options relating to a criminal charge.
Contact our offices online or call us at 973-898-0161 for a free consultation. In addition to our criminal law practice, we also represent clients in personal injury law cases.