## IN THE COU RT O F CR IM IN AL AP PE ALS OF TE XAS
N O . P D . - 1539- 07

R O BE R T H U FFM A N , A ppe l l ant

v . THE S TA TE OF TE X AS ON AP P EL LA NT ’ S AND S TA TE ’ S P ET I TI ONS FOR DI S CRETI ON ARY REVI EW FROM THE FOURTH CO URT O F AP PEALS

BEX AR CO UNTY C OC HRAN , J
. , fi l ed a c oncur r i ng opi ni on, i n w hi ch P RI CE , J OH NS ON and H OL C OMB , J J
. , j oi ned. O P I N I O N I w ri t e separat el yon l y t o point ou t t hat usi ng t he norm al ei gh t h-grade gram m ar t est t o det er m i ne t he gr avamen of t he offe ns e w oul d r eac h t he s ame r es ul ti n t hi s “Fai l ur e t o St op
a n d R e n d e r A id ” c a se . T h e ju rym u st b e u n a n im o u s th a t th e d e f e n d a n t f a iled to c o m p lyw ith t he r equi r ement s of t he st atut e, but i t need notbe unani m ous aboutpr eci s el yhow he fa i l ed t o compl yw i t h t hos e r equi r ement s . T he cour t of appe al s anal y zed thi s cas e ac cor di ng t o t hatHuffma n ConcurringOpinion Page2

Hu ffm an v . S

tate , 234 S.W .3d 185, 193-94 (Te x . App.– San Antonio 2007). 1 T EX . T RA N SP . C ODE § 550.21. 2 t est , bu ti tw as not ent i rel yaccurat e i n it s gram m at i cal analy si s. 1 T he Fai l ur e t o St op and R enderA i d s t atut e def i nes a s i ngl e cr i m i nal offe ns e. I ti s s et
ou ti n T exas T ransport at i on C od e § 5 50
. 02 1 an d reads as fol l ow s: ( a) T he oper at or of a vehi cl e i nvol ved i n an ac ci dentr es ul t i ng i n i nj ur yt o ordeath of a p e rso n sh a ll: ( 1) i m m edi at el ys t op t he vehi cl e at t he s cene of t he acc i dent or as cl os e t o t he s cene as pos s i bl e; ( 2) i m m edi at el yr etur n t o t he s cene of t he acc i dent i f t he vehi cl e i s nots t opped att he s cene of t he ac ci dent ; and ( 3) r emai n att he s cen e o f the acci dentunt i l t he oper at orcompl i es w i t h t he r equi r ement s of s ect i on 550. 023 [Sect i on 550. 023 r equi r es t he oper at orof t he vehi cl e t o gi ve hi s name and addr es s , r egi s t r at i on num berof t he vehi cl e, t he name of t he oper at or ’ s m ot orvehi cl e l i abi l i t yi ns ur erand, i f r eques t ed, t o s how hi s dr i ver ’ s l i cens e; i tal s o r equi r es t he oper at ort o pr ovi de anyper s on i nj ur ed i n t he ac ci dentr eas onabl e as s i s t ance , i ncl udi ng t r ans por t i ng orm ak ing ar r angement s for t r ans por t i ng t he per s on t o a phy s i ci an orhos pi t al form edi cal t r eatm enti f i ti s appar entt hatt r eatm enti s nece s s ar y , or i f t he i nj ur ed per s on req u ests the tran sp o rt ati o n ]; (b) A n operat or of a veh i cl e requi red t o s t op t he vehicl e by S ub sect i on (a) shal l do so w i t h o u to b s t r u c t i n g t r a f f i c m o r e t h a n i s n e c e s s a r y. (c ) A p e rso n c o m m its a n o f f e n se if th e p e rso n d o e s n o t sto p o r d o e s n o t co m p lyw ith t he r equi r ement s of t hi s s ect i on. 2 H er e, t he offe ns e i t s el f i s s et out att he end of t he s t atut e–i n s ubs ect i on ( c) –notatt he begi nni ng. I ts i m pl y s t at es t hat a per s on comm i t s an off ens e i f he doe s nots t op ordo al l t hat he i s r equi r ed t o do under s ubs ect i ons ( a) and (b)
. U s i ng t he ei ght h gr ade gr amm ar t es t , t heHuffma n ConcurringOpinion Page3

SeeT EX . T RA N SP . C ODE § 550.023. 3 m ai n t r ans i t i ve verbs of t he s ent ence ( and t her efor e t he act us r eus of t he cr i m e) ar e “s t op or
c o m p ly ,” m o d if

ied b y“ d o e s n o t.” T h e d o u b le p re p o sitio n a l p h ra se “ w ith th e re q u ire m e n ts
o f th is se c tio n ” m o d if

ies th e v e rb “ c o m p ly ” a n d d e sc rib e s w h a t th e d e f e n d a n t is su p p o se d to
c o m p lyw ith . T h u s, th e f u ll d e sc rip tio n o f

th e c rim in a l act us r eus i s “does nots t op ordoes

n o t com p lyw ith the re q u ir em en ts of this section
. ” T h e L eg isl ature , h av ing u sed a sin g le ve rb phr as e w i t hi n a s i ngl e s ubs ect i on of t he s t atut e, s eemi ngl y i nt ended t o cr eat e a s i ngl e cr i m i nal offe ns e. T hus , anyfai l ur e t o ei ther stop o rcompl yw i t h al l of t he r equi r ement s of
s ubs ect i ons ( a) and ( b) i s t he forbi dden conduc t , t he act u s re us . A n d th e f a ilu re to sto p is
a lso o n e o f th e re q u ire m e n ts un d e r su b se c tio n (a ), so it i s a b u n d a n tlyc lea r th a t th e f a ilu re to
s t op i s nots om e s epar at e and di s t i nctoffe ns e fr om the fa il u re t o compl yw i t h t he req u ir em en ts of

su b sec ti o n s (a) an d (b). U nders ubs ect i on ( a) ( 1) , t he per s on i s r equi r ed t o “s t op”at t he sce ne of t he ac ci dent
or as clos e as pos s i bl e, unders ubs ect i on ( a) ( 2) , he i s r equi r ed t o “r etur n” i f he ha d not
s t opped, and under s ubs ect i on ( a) ( 3) , he i s r equi r ed t o ( 1) r emai n att he s cene of t he ac ci dent

u n t i l h e h a s , in ter a lia , g iv e n h is n a m e a n d a d d re ss , ca r’s re g istra tio n n u m b e r, an d h is insu ran ce inf

o rm ati o n to the injured p erso n o r so m eo n e else in ch arg e o f the in jured p erso n ’s
car , and ( 2) pr ovi de anyper s on i nj ur ed i n t he ac ci dentr eas onabl e ass i s t ance . A nd, under 3

s ubs ect i on ( b) , t he per s o n m us ts t op hi s ow n carw i t houtobs t r uct i ng t r aff i c more t han
nece s s ar y . T h e fa i l ur e t o compl yw i t h any , s om e, oral l of t hes e r equi r ement s i n t heHuffma n ConcurringOpinion Page4

234 S.W .3d at 193-94. 4 Id. 5 i m m edi at e af

t er m at h of a si ngl e, s peci fi c ca racc i dentcons t i t ut es t he act us r eus of t he
o f f e n s e . T he cour tof appe al s m i s t akenl yco n clud ed t hatw hen t he per s on–t he oper at orof a vehi cl e i nvol ved i n an ac ci dentr es ul t i ng i n i nj ur yor death– “does nots t op” att he ac ci dent
s cene , t hi s i s a di ffe r entcr i m i nal actt han t he fa i l ur e t o compl yw i t h t he r equi r ement s of t he
s t atut e, w hi ch i ncl ude t he nee d t o “i m m edi at el y s t op t he vehi cl e at t he s cene of t he ac ci dent
oras cl os e t o t he s cene as pos s i bl e. ” T he cour tof appeal s fur t her r eas oned t hateac h one of 4 t he s peci fi c r equi r ement s w i t h w hi ch a pe r s on does notcom p ly co n st i t ut es a s epar at e and d ist inct crim inal o ff

en se. T h u s, the fa il u re t o stop w o u ld be on e of fe n se, the fa il u re t o return 5

w oul d be a di ffe r entoffe ns e, and t he fa i l ur e t o r ema in at th e s cene of t he ac ci dentt o gi ve in f o rm a tio n a n d a s s is t a n yin ju re d p e rs o n s w o u ld b e a th ir d c ri m in a l o f f e n s e . B u t th ese ac ti o n s are n o t th e m ain v erb s o f th e o ff en s e ; s u b sec ti o n s (a)(1), (a)(2), ( a) ( 3) , and ( b) s i m pl y defi ne t he “r equi r ement s ” w i t h w hi ch t he per s on m us tcompl y . T hey
ar e, i n es s ence , t he mannerand means byw hi ch a p erso n fa il s t o compl yw i t h t he
re q u ir e m e n ts o f

th e s e c tio n . T h u s, the j ur ym us tunani m ous l yfi nd t hatt he def endant“di d nots t op ordi d not compl yw i t h t he r equi r ement s ” set out fort he oper at orof a ve hi cl e i nvol ved i n an ac ci dent

r es ul t i ng i n i nj ur yt o o r d ea th o f a per s on. T he s peci fi c s t atut or yr equi r ement s t hatt heHuffma n ConcurringOpinion Page5 evi dence sh o w s that t he def endantfai l ed t o compl yw i t h s houl d t hen be l i s t ed i n t he di s j unct i ve. T heycan be l i s t ed outas ( 1) , ( 2) , ( 3) , and t he j ur y i nfor m ed t hat i t need notbe unani m ous o n (1), (2 ), o r( 3) , as l ong as i ti s unani m ous i n i t s deci s i on t hatt he def endant f a ile d to c o m p ly w ith s o m e re q u ir e m e n t. Fi l ed: O ct ober1, 2008 P ub l i sh