San Diego Criminal Lawyers Blog
In the aftermath of a car accident, an injured victim might feel shocked and overwhelmed. No one expects to be hit or to crash into another car when they go out to drive from one place to the next. But car accidents happen all the time across the United States and in the state of California. In the aftermath of a car accident, victims can suffer disabling injuries and death. In 2019, there were 3,606 fatal car crashes in the state of California alone. It is imperative that if you are in an accident in which property damage or physical bodily harm results, you must stay at the scene and try to render aid. If you leave the car accident scene without taking the right steps you could be facing criminal charges.
Individuals involved in a car accident in California that flee the scene could face either a misdemeanor or felony criminal charges. If you are arrested for either a misdemeanor or a felony hit-and-run charge, you need proficient legal counsel to help you overcome your charges and secure the best possible outcome for your case. The San Diego hit-and-run defense attorney David M. Boertje can assist you in this situation.
What Rendering Reasonable Assistance Means After a Vehicular Accident
If you are involved in a car accident it does not matter if it is your fault or another party’s fault for the incident happening. When the crash produces property damages or injuries and death, you have to stay at the scene and render reasonable assistance. This does not necessarily mean that you have to physically administer treatment, although if you are trained to do so you may be able to use your knowledge and skills to help another person suffering physical bodily harm.
Regardless of if you are medically trained or not, rendering reasonable assistance is a must. This may mean that you simply call 9-1-1 to get first responders to the scene to evaluate injured parties and provide them medical aid. It is perfectly acceptable to respond to injured victims of a car accident by calling the emergency line for assistance. However, it is not perfectly acceptable to fail to provide reasonable assistance to people who are suffering harm.
If you are arrested or being investigated for a hit-and-run charge in California, there are a couple of things to know. First, you do not have to talk about your case with the police. Kindly and respectfully asserting your right to silence is the best action to take here. Then, getting in touch with the San Diego criminal defense attorney David M. Boertje can help you defend your rights and potentially keep you out of jail.
Speak to a California Criminal Defense Attorney Today
You can schedule a completely free, no-obligation consultation with the highly trained San Diego hit-and-run lawyer David M. Boertje by calling (619) 229-1870 for the San Diego office or (760) 476-0901 for the Carlsbad location. For the best criminal defense representation in the greater San Diego area, please connect with the Law Offices of David M. Boertje today.