Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

Indirectly involved in car accident

Some teenagers tried to get me to race with them at a red light. When the light turned green we both took off and the other driver sped around a curve and lost control of his vehicle. He veered into oncoming traffic and hit several cars and severely injured a person. I stopped briefly at the scene (a witness validated this). My pregnant girlfriend was hysterical and traumatized, so I proceeded to leave the scene after ambulances arrived to give assistance. Shortly thereafter, I was pulled over by the police and required to return to the scene of the accident. I was then charged with a Hit and Run and Racing charge because ''somebody thought they saw us racing''. The magistrate later refused to validate the Hit and Run and reduced it to Failure to Stop and Render Aid. I was released on my own recognizance. During my pretrial hearing, the prosecutor chose to ''Nolle Prosse'' the racing charge and only brought forth the Failure to Stop Charge. The Judge refused to certify the charge. 3 months later, I was indicted by a Grand Jury for what are now 3 charges instead of 2: Reckless Driving-Racing, Cause Injury by Racing (Felony), Hit and Run (again!!). I did not physically hit any motor vehicle or injure any persons. Can they do this???

1 Answer from Attorneys

Related Questions & Answers

More Criminal Law questions and answers in Virginia

Looking for something else?