You may have been contacted by the police via a hit-and-run notice by mail
A hit-and-run notice is mailed to registered owners of a car involved in an accident, whether or not they were driving. These letters will go to the current residence address or mailing address of the owner of the vehicle involved in the accident.
What happens when I get into an Accident and Drive Away?
When someone has an accident, they are required by law to stop and, in most cases, usually call the police to report it. however, this is not always the case because many accidents are minor and people prefer to move on for a variety of reasons. that is, not wanting to get involved in insurance or being in a hurry and not having time to file an accident report. in other cases, a driver will not want to stop at the scene because he is undocumented or may have alcohol in his system and does not want to tolerate being arrested.
When this happens, the witnesses will write down the license plates of the vehicles involved and pass them on to the police officer taking the report.
A hit-and-run notice is sent by mail every day
If you fail to stop at red lights or crosswalks, you could be involved in a traffic accident. and even if you stop at the scene of the accident, you may not be able to identify the person who hit you or may seem confused as the other party is walking away and doesn’t care. These things happen so often that it is impossible for an officer to go after every hit and run traffic accident, which means he will spend his time only on the most serious ones involving bodily injury.
hit and run investigation continues
frequently in this type of case (minor) there are no injuries. the police mail a hit and run notice to the driver asking him to come and give a statement. this is called fishing because the registered owner of the car is asked to enter the station with a driver’s license and give a statement to a police officer.
However, giving a statement is not always in the best interest of the registered owner, especially if he or she was driving. furthermore, even if they were not driving, it is probably not in their interest or the interest of family members to give a statement, as they will be pressured to point out who was driving the vehicle. when this happens, the registered owner of the vehicle will be pressured to tell the officer who was using the car and forced to give the information.
actual knowledge of an accident is not a problem for the offence
These things always happen the same way when a driver thinks he can outsmart a law enforcement officer. the driver will enter saying that there was ignorance and he only felt a pothole and did not see anything and continued driving. however, once they admit to being the driver (ID) behind the wheel at the time and place, they will be arrested and issued a criminal citation
responding to the hit-and-run notice in the mail can get you into more trouble
In addition, the officer may also ask you to bring the car. Police officers have no legal right to search the vehicle without a court order. however, if you bring it and they confirm that it is the car involved in the collision, they will have a justification to retain it as evidence after vehicle identification. this is where it gets tricky because they will give you the impression that they will not release the car unless you cooperate with them. In other words, you will lose the car unless you confess to driving or point out who did. when this happens, you will be given a criminal citation.
Also, if they find anything illegal inside the vehicle, they can arrest you and impound the vehicle. This means the vehicle will be taken from the driver and held at the local police station or their towing yard until the driver obtains a release from them. as this happens, towing fees will add up to approximately $50 per day.
If you were driving, then you’ll want an attorney who handles hit and run cases.