Legal Question in Criminal Law in Maryland
Dr. Sir or Ma'm, I need urgent legal adice asap, i will bless your heart forever and ever if u will please give me advice. I rear ended a 18 wheel truck a day ago and soon after the truck continued going, this was in center lane of a hi-way with 4 lanes on each side, during this heavy moving traffic on both sides of me the truck quickly got over as needed and again, since of the heavy traffic and that i missed my chance to get over quick enough i temporarily lost sight of where he pulled off in the traffic and hd to continue to the next light where i planned to turn around and get to the truck to deal with the crash. as i reached the light a ''witness'' under false impressions slammed on the breaks abruptly causing me to hit her, then she went into a rage fleeing her car and grabbing my keys shouting to the cops that ''she had me'', i was immediatly arrested with even a chance to try to explain , i was promply charged with hit and run, i had no intention to eascape this, i had no way or time to get over to where the truck pulled off. My axiety meds from the day before clouded my head slighty and i feel im facing charge that is both false and unproven and i need advive direly. also i was arrested without being read my rights and was not allowed a phone call, the westminster area justice syst. is known to be the crookedest in MD and i fear they will stick together and charge me with a crime i had no intent on even attempting was a misunderstanding of circustance. Please Help me. Please : ) im a good person and i follow the law and only want live my life in peace, freedom, and work to support my family.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Anyone, guilty or not, may be charged. Whether the state proves its case is a different thing. Even if it does, you may still argue what the sentence should be.
I am not a MD attorney (but am in TX, IL & MO), so this is just common sense advice.
1. You need a criminal defense attorney licensed in MD, not a lawguru answer.
2. It sounds like you actually did commit "hit and run", although unintentional and perhaps justification defenses apply due to traffic conditions - a criminal defense attorney can research that and argue the point to the prosecuting attorney.
3. If you have a clean prior record, emphasize that. If you have prior situations where you have done wrong and immediately admitted it and taken responsibility, be sure to mention those to your attorney--they show your character is not evasive--and non-evasive prior actions make intent to hit and run more unlikely.
4. Your story sounds suspect to me, I am skeptical, so for now your best bet is to "say nothing" until you talk with that criminal defense attorney.
5. Get a lawyer sooner rather than later, as the sooner you do, the better it will be for you since facing the problem head-on by getting an attorney is the mature and responsible non-evasive thing to do and the prosecuting attorney will recognize that fact. Also, your attorney will get a lot more respect and cooperation from the prosecuting attorney than a hit and run suspect will ever get.
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