Source: https://markshermanlaw.com/norwalk-criminal/traffic-lawyer/hit-and-run/
Timestamp: 2019-11-12 19:22:07
Document Index: 511236534

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 14', '§ 14', '§ 14', '§ 14', '§ 14', '§ 14', 'in fine', '§ 14', '§ 14', '§ 14']

Norwalk Hit and Run Lawyer | Evading Responsibility Charges in Norwalk
How Do You Get Arrested for Evading Responsibility in Norwalk Connecticut?
The top criminal defense attorneys in Norwalk Connecticut know that if you get into a car accident and leave the scene without calling the police or leaving your information with the person you hit or with the owner of the property you damaged, then you can get arrested for Evading Responsibility under C.G.S. § 14-224. When you leave the scene of a car accident in Norwalk Connecticut, police believe you took off because you were doing something wrong. Maybe you were driving a stolen car, or maybe you did not have insurance or a license. Maybe you wanted to avoid a Norwalk arrest for DUI / DWI. No matter what the scenario, leaving the scene always leads the Norwalk Police to ask “Why?” and assume the worst.
You May Not Get Booked for a Norwalk Evading, But It’s Still a Criminal Arrest
Any of the best criminal lawyers in Norwalk Connecticut appreciate that police or Connecticut State Troopers do not have to take you to the station to fingerprint you and take your mug shot in order to arrest you. Instead, they can hand you a Norwalk “misdemeanor summons and complaint” ticket, which counter-intuitively, is still a criminal arrest. To be clear, you are still being charged with a misdemeanor or a felony if you are handed a ticket, so you should take this very seriously. You now have a pending criminal charge that will show up on every employment background check until the time that you have your top Norwalk Connecticut criminal lawyer attorney get your case dismissed and your arrest record erased.
Norwalk Arrests Report to Norwalk Superior Court
No matter if you are formally arrested or just given a “misdemeanor summons and complaint” for Evading Responsibility C.G.S. § 14-224 by the Connecticut State Troopers for a hit and run on I-95, Merritt Parkway or Route 7 connector, you will have to report to the Norwalk Superior Court to fight your charges. The town of Norwalk Connecticut is large enough to have its own courthouse to process the arrests in what’s called Geographical Area #20 which handles arrests in Norwalk, New Canaan, Westport, Weston and Wilton Connecticut. When you are looking for an attorney to represent you in fighting your C.G.S. § 14-224 arrest in Norwalk, make sure to consult with a top Norwalk Connecticut criminal law firm that appears frequently in Norwalk criminal court.
A Norwalk Evading Responsibility Arrest Can Be a Felony or Misdemeanor
Under Connecticut criminal law, Evading Responsibility C.G.S. § 14-224 contains two distinct subsections: a misdemeanor subsection for accidents involving minor injuries and property damage and a felony subsection for accidents resulting in serious physical injuries to a victim. If you cause serious physical injury to another person (such as broken bones) then you will be charged with a felony. Any lesser type of injury or property damage will result in you being charged with a misdemeanor. Get in touch with one of any of the best Norwalk or Stamford hit and run criminal lawyers to review your paperwork to confirm you have been charged with the proper subsection. A mistaken charge under the felony subsection can cause unexpected headaches when searching for a job.
Can I Spend Time in Jail for a Norwalk Connecticut Evading Responsibility Arrest?
That depends. If you have a criminal record and severely injured someone with your car, then your chances increase. If you did not have adequate insurance to cover medical bills and repair costs, then your chances also go up.
A misdemeanor arrest for Evading Responsibility in Norwalk under C.G.S. § 14-224 exposes you to up to 1 year of jail and fines up to $600. A felony Evading Responsibility charge under C.G.S. § 14-224 exposes you to up to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. If this isn’t your first conviction, then the penalties get even worse. To add insult to injury, a guilty plea to either subsection will result in the Connecticut DMV suspending your driver license for a period of time. Keep reading to learn more about license consequences that arise from a Norwalk Connecticut Evading Responsibility arrest.
Getting Your Norwalk Connecticut Evading Arrest Off Google & the Internet
The Norwalk Police Department strictly complies with the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) laws that require the police to publish arrest reports, booking photos, your full name and address in local news outlets. This includes the Norwalk Hour, the Norwalk Daily Voice the Norwalk Patch and News 12. The Norwalk police don’t care about the deep and lasting impact that the publicity can have on your career and reputation. But as many of the best Connecticut internet criminal attorneys know, the more clicks your article gets, the higher it will climb on Google search engines.
So what can you do about it? The Mark Sherman Law Firm may be able to help. In 2011, the Mark Sherman Law Firm launched a cutting edge “internet scrubbing” practice. Our goal? To hold Connecticut online news websites responsible for the damages they cause to the reputations of our clients. We fight these websites to get our clients’ Norwalk Connecticut arrest reports off their websites as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible. For more on our cutting edge internet / Google scrubbing practice, click here.
Fighting Your Norwalk Evading Responsibility Arrest in Court
Many of the best criminal attorneys lawyers in Norwalk Connecticut recognize that fighting a Norwalk arrest for Evading Responsibility / Hit and Run under CGS § 14-224 requires years of criminal court experience and a strong handle on the various defenses available. You will be dealing with victims who are turning to the court to voice their concerns and vent their frustrations about their injuries and property damage. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking to preserve digital and forensic evidence that can help your case. On top of that, you will be dealing with insurance companies looking to take your recorded statement and prosecutors who will seek a conviction unless they are persuaded otherwise. Handling all of these moving parts is a true balancing act that only the top Norwalk Connecticut criminal lawyers can handle competently. No matter who you hire, make sure you work with a top Norwalk Connecticut criminal defense lawyer (and not a divorce or personal injury lawyer who just dabbles in criminal court) to craft the best defense for your case.
Don’t Burn Your AR So Fast – Reduce Your Norwalk Evading Charge to an Infraction
One way to get your Norwalk Evading Responsibility arrest dismissed is to use Connecticut’s Pre-Trial Accelerated Rehabilitation Program, otherwise known as “AR”. AR is essentially your one free bite at the apple – you usually only get to use AR once (sometimes once every ten years with a recent law change). An inexperienced Norwalk criminal attorney may push you into applying for the AR program at the very outset of your case. This may not always be the best strategy. While you may end up having to use the program, it is always the smart move to try to convince the prosecutor to drop your Norwalk Connecticut Evading Responsibility Hit and Run charge or get it reduced to the infraction of “Failure to Stop and Show Insurance Card” under C.G.S. § 14-13(b). A chance to get your Connecticut Evading Responsibility arrest reduced to a Failure to Stop and Show infraction is something you should always take advantage of in order to save your AR for a rainy day / more serious Norwalk Connecticut arrest.
The last piece of this legal jigsaw puzzle is your car insurance. Insurance carriers are involved covering the damages and costs which arise from a Norwalk arrest for Evading Responsibility. If there is personal injury or property damage that insurance is going to cover, adjusters and investigators are required to investigate the who, what, where, when, and why of your Norwalk car accident in order to determine if they will have to pay up.
So if you are arrested for Evading Responsibility / Hit and Run in Norwalk Connecticut, then expect numerous phone calls and letters from insurance companies seeking answers. They will want to record your statement but remember – nothing you say to the insurance companies is privileged. This means they can turn over your recorded interview, and any admissions of guilt therein, to the police and prosecutor. In order to avoid this, it is best to run all correspondence through your top Norwalk Connecticut criminal lawyer to protect you.
Talk to a Norwalk Connecticut Criminal Attorney Today
If the police are trying to talk to you, or if they have already arrested you in Norwalk Connecticut for Evading Responsibility / Hit and Run in violation of C.G.S. § 14-224, then get in touch with any of the criminal attorneys at Mark Sherman Law. We are all about the end result: helping prevent your arrest, or getting your Norwalk Evading Responsibility charge dismissed as quickly as we can. Don’t just take us at our word, Read what our former Evading Responsibility clients have to say about our firm on the Avvo.com certified lawyer review website. Call us today for a consultation. We are available 24/7 to take your call at (203) 358-4700.