Legal Question in Criminal Law in Washington

Notice of Case Setting for Hit/Run

I received notice of a Hit/Run of unattended vehicle. It is very confusing as the only situation I think this could possibly be was when I was turning around to pick up my child from drama. i went over a bump and it made a noise. I looked around my car and it did not appear that I had hit a car. a man went and looked at the car next to mine. i assumed it was his car. he went back inside without saying anything. I did not feel my car hit anything. based on that and his actions i did not believe i had hit the car. another woman was on the other side of my car and she looked at the vehicle and did not say anything to me. i proceeded to turn around and pulled over to wait for my child to come out from dance. no less than 5 minutes went by. and then i left. I DID NOT HIT AND RUN! however, i just received notice of a notice of case setting and it is in the criminal court. how can i respond to this? i don't have $ for an attorney. if this person says i damaged the car then i must have. I just don't know why he didn't say anything??????? what happens if i plead guilty? or what happens if i plead innocent? am i guilty or innocent? as i may have actually caused damage to his car.???


Asked on 5/23/06, 1:30 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jahnis Abelite ABELITE LAW OFFICES, P.S.

Re: Notice of Case Setting for Hit/Run

First, DO NOT PLEAD GUILTY!!! Hit and Run Unattended is a very serious charge and it carries with it a possibility of up to 90 days in jail and or a $1,000.00 fine or both and can seriously affect your insurance rates. Take advantage of your constitutional rights and buy yourself some time to find out what happened in your case. Therefore, your statement that you have no money for an attorney is really a relative one because you could end up paying not hundreds but thousands of dollars in increased auto insurance premiums but fines, court costs and possible jail time. You would also face monitoring by probation of the court your case is being heard in. If you really are indigent, i.e., have no money to pay an attorney, then youy may qualify for a public defender. Having your case handled by a PD can be a roll of the dice to say the least as these folks have very large case loads and can therefore devote very little time to a case like yours, which is viewed as far less serious than H&R Attended, DUI, Reckless Driving, etc. You would probably be advised to plead guilty. Another aspect of this case is, were you insured? Have you notified your insurance company? Has your insurance company paid this claim? Further, have you gone to your arraignment yet? If not, then go to the arraignment, plead not guilty, ask for a jury trial,and get your next court date (for your pre-trial hearing or conference) and call me at my office for a free consultation regarding your case. You cannot operate from a position of ignorance of what the facts of your case are. There is too much at stake for you. I have a toll free number of 866.700.3886. You must get discovery in your case so you know exactly what happened and how.

Read more
Answered on 5/24/06, 11:20 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Criminal Law questions and answers in Washington