Car accidents that result in injuries or death are undoubtedly stressful events. Immediately after the accident you may feel stress, shock, panic and confusion. If you know that you caused the accident, you may be tempted to avoid further trouble by leaving the accident scene immediately. But doing so won't make the fallout of the accident any easier and is likely to land you in more trouble.
A woman from Prineville, Oregon, now facing DUII and other charges discovered this truth the hard way after an accident earlier this week. According to a sergeant from the Oregon State Police, the 44-year-old woman was heading south on Highway 97 when her sedan rear-ended a pickup truck. The impact forced the truck off the south side of the highway, where it rolled until it came to rest in some pine trees. The sedan veered off the opposite side of the road, where it also came to rest in the trees.
According to the OSP sergeant, the woman then ran into the forest. State police troopers and other emergency responders rushed to the crash scene and took the pickup truck driver to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Troopers searched the area for the sedan driver and found her; she too was taken to a hospital.
After being medically cleared, the woman was arrested and taken to the Klamath County Jail. She's expected to be charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, failure to perform the duties of a driver in an injury crash -- a charge also known as hit-and-run -- fourth-degree assault, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person.
As nervous as you might be about facing charges after an accident that was your fault, the last thing you need is another felony as a result of fleeing the scene. A hit-and-run conviction often results in jail time and significant fines. A judge may also be less lenient on a driver who attempts to evade the original charges.
Whether you flee the scene or stay with your vehicle after an accident, you'll want to rely on an attorney who's well-versed in DUII cases if you're accused of causing an accident while under the influence.
Source: KTVZ.com, "OSP: Prineville Woman Jailed After Fleeing Crash," June 20, 2012
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