Hit and Run Offense

[toocool4skool]

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Okay, so I was in a parking lot the other day and backed into an unoccupied vehicle while going ~.02 mph. There was no readily visible damage to the other car and no damage to my own so I foolishly made the decision of not leaving contact/insurance information and left the scene. Evidently someone saw me and called the cops and now I have a hit and run violation on my record. I have now given them my insurance information and they will be getting a minor scratch on their car fixed.

Will this show up on criminal background checks and how should I proceed? I have a court date scheduled and a $175 fine to pay. Will this affect the application process at all?

 

[apumic]

I believe in most states a hit n run is a misdemeanor, so yes, it's a minor criminal offense & would show up on your record. Perhaps you could get the person to settle w/ you and drop charges if they have that option? Otherwise, you'll have some 'xplaining to do come application time. It probably won't kill your chances but it certainly could hurt them since it's so recent & shows lack of honesty and/or poor judgment.

 

[TopSecret]

Okay, so I was in a parking lot the other day and backed into an unoccupied vehicle while going ~.02 mph. There was no readily visible damage to the other car and no damage to my own so I foolishly made the decision of not leaving contact/insurance information and left the scene. Evidently someone saw me and called the cops and now I have a hit and run violation on my record. I have now given them my insurance information and they will be getting a minor scratch on their car fixed.

Will this show up on criminal background checks and how should I proceed? I have a court date scheduled and a $175 fine to pay. Will this affect the application process at all?

It probably will show up on a background check unless you get the violation thrown out after spending some time doing whatever the judge wants you to do. If it doesn't get thrown out, it probably will affect you since a question is asked regarding any criminal past when applying for state licensure, hospital privileges, insurance plans, liability insurance, employment, board certification, etc. It might be a good idea to hire a lawyer to see if you could have this removed from your public files.

 

[futureboy]

Okay, so I was in a parking lot the other day and backed into an unoccupied vehicle while going ~.02 mph. There was no readily visible damage to the other car and no damage to my own so I foolishly made the decision of not leaving contact/insurance information and left the scene. Evidently someone saw me and called the cops and now I have a hit and run violation on my record. I have now given them my insurance information and they will be getting a minor scratch on their car fixed.

Will this show up on criminal background checks and how should I proceed? I have a court date scheduled and a $175 fine to pay. Will this affect the application process at all?

If you haven't done so, and if it's not too late, get a lawyer to represent you to fight the charges. You might be able to get the charge dismissed since you had insurance and the carrier is handling the claim. Also, you didn't seem to have done this on purpose. If they won't dismiss it, the prosecutor may agree to plea the charge down to a non-moving equipment violation. Everybody's happy -- the city gets the fine money, and you avoid the more serious conviction. You need to avoid a hit skip at all costs, because in addition to having to explain it to medical schools (and state licensing boards), it will kill you on future auto insurance rates.

By the way, I'm a lawyer (in Ohio), and I've been able to get reduced pleas for my clients in this situation.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Get a lawyer.. It depends on your record. But most of the time, if you shell out the money you can get out of most minor things. I would try and get it dropped. Now dropped can mean several different things. It can be completely dropped- never on record, Prayer for Judgement- Stay your ass out of trouble for you length of probation (for more serious offenses I.E.- DUI in which you were underage and blew below a .08), Plea Deal- Community service and its off (Volunteer at the hospital.. BAM EC and your getting out if a ticket), Or lastly a deferred prosecution (out of trouble for 6 months) then off record..

 

[redbull928]

I know this won't help you in any way but if you left a note the person probably would've let you off the hook due to your honesty... (which is what happened to me. The person actually thanked me for being honest. I was like 😕) Well, live and learn!

 

[TexasFight]

Yeah if it's not too late to get a lawyer to get this off your record... even if it costs a few hundred - I would rather work that off than have to deal with explaining a hit and run at every interview.

 

[red10]

Yeah if it's not too late to get a lawyer to get this off your record... even if it costs a few hundred - I would rather work that off than have to deal with explaining a hit and run at every interview.

agreed. When someone says "hit and run" you don't think backing into another car in a parking lot you think hitting a van full of small children and leaving them to die. It could be a big fatty red flag

 

[Kaustikos]

agreed. When someone says "hit and run" you don't think backing into another car in a parking lot you think hitting a van full of small children and leaving them to die. It could be a big fatty red flag

I think that counts as vehicular manslaughter....

 

[red10]

I think that counts as vehicular manslaughter....

true, but the point is that when someone says hit and run, very bad things come to mind none of which is a small crack in a bumper

 

[Schemp]

this is just a crappy situation. i live in seattle, and bumping into other cars is literally a fact of life if you live downtown or in any of the outlying areas. i would be incredibly pissed off if someone called the police for tapping their bumper.