- Former prosecutor & honors graduate of NYU Law
- Hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases handled
- Track record of dismissals and acquittals in challenging cases
- Extensive experience with Colorado healthcare licensing boards
Denver Hit and Run Defense Attorney
People leave the scene of both big and small accidents, and for a variety of reasons. But police and prosecutors know that, frequently, the driver has left the scene because they were under the influence of alcohol. And so even without injuries to other parties, a hit and run is going to be prosecuted as a serious crime. Always stay on scene, or call police from a safe place if the accident area is unsafe. But once you’ve made the decision to leave, it is important to get legal help before responding to police inquiries or going to court.
Matt Hand is a Colorado criminal defense attorney who defends licensed healthcare professionals, both from criminal charges and from board discipline. I have defended countless healthcare licensees, such as nurses, doctors, dentists, and therapists. I have won trials or earned dismissals on charges such as felony assault, DUI, indecent exposure, hit and run, attempt murder, harassment, sex assault, domestic violence, and more.
Legal Services and Areas of Service
- Healthcare license defense and advisal -- Throughout Colorado.
- Criminal defense for licensed professionals -- Greater metro Denver area.
- To schedule a free phone consultation, email: matt@handlaw.com
My criminal defense practice primarily serves Colorado professionals licensed by DORA boards such as the Board of Nursing, Medical Board, Board of Pharmacy, Dental Board, and Board of Veterinary Medicine. I accept criminal cases that do not involve a healthcare license when I have availability.
Colorado Hit and Run Consequences
Hit and run, or leaving the scene of the accident, is a serious conviction with a mandatory revocation of your driver’s license and the possibility of jail or prison. In serious cases, your attorney will be focused on avoiding jail or prison, and in more minor or defensible cases the focus will be on a plea offer that protects your driver’s license. If you hold a professional license, we will manage the case to avoid or minimize professional licensing discipline.
The penalties vary, largely depending on whether there were injuries or other special circumstances. A fender bender with a parked car is serious enough (up to 3 months jail), but the penalties are dramatically higher if there were serious injuries involved, or if the driver was driving under the influence.
- unattended vehicle/no injuries: up to 3 months jail + fine + 12 points, loss of license
- non-serious injury: up to 1 year in jail + fine + 12 points, loss of license
- serious injury: presumptive 2 to 6 years in prison + fine + 12 points, loss of license
- death: presumptive 4 to 12 years in prison + fine + 12 points, loss of license
Probation is a possibility in some cases, and parole is mandatory after a prison sentence. In some cases where there was a likelihood of alcohol impairment, but not enough evidence to prosecute the case as a DUI, the DA and court may try to impose alcohol treatment and monitoring as a condition of the sentence, as if it were a DUI sentence.
In-home detention, fines and community service often accompany lesser convictions in these cases.
Restitution is likely if the district attorney can prove you caused the property damage or injuries.
Restitution issues get complicated quickly, even if you had insurance, and can make resolving your case more difficult. Never lie to your insurance, but ideally you should talk with an attorney before speaking with your insurance company (and the default is not to speak with the other driver’s insurance company, either).
Defending Hit and Run Charges
Defense of hit and run charges is not like defense of other traffic and criminal charges.
In many cases, I am retained by drivers who have not yet been charged with a crime, but who have been contacted by a detective at the Denver Traffic Investigations Unit or other local police agency, asking for an interview. The police want the driver’s insurance info, they want the driver to admit to having driven the vehicle in the accident, and they want to inspect the vehicle for damage. They can put a locate and hold out on your vehicle if you don’t cooperate with their desired inspection, and it is in the driver’s best interest for police to have their insurance information. But deciding whether to make a statement to police is a choice that is protected by the constitution. Sometimes it is helpful to cooperate with police, usually it is not. A lawyer can help you evaluate that decision and handle the insurance information and vehicle inspection (or equivalent sharing of photographs, sometimes) with less stress and risk to you. Contact an attorney before responding to police.
In the rare cases with serious injury or death involved, a hit and run may attract media attention. Such cases are sensational and tragic, typically leading to a very aggressive prosecution. Sentencing a hit and run driver to years in prison won’t undo the pain and suffering of a hit and run victim, but prosecutors and judges believe aggressive sentencing will deter crime in the future. If the DA has a strong case, your lawyer will focus on putting your actions and character in context, to get a better plea bargain and sentence. If the DA’s case has any weaknesses, your criminal lawyer will investigate and develop them. A skilled lawyer will use those weaknesses to either win an acquittal at trial, or to negotiate a more favorable plea bargain beforehand.
Minor hit and runs are more common than most people think. Leaving the scene of a parking lot fender bender is a serious charge, but it is not always the moral failure that prosecutors make it out to be. The fact is, people respond differently to stress and panic. A person driving a large truck might not even be aware of slow-speed impact with a small vehicle. Some people feel unsafe dealing with angry people on the side of the road after a collision, especially if the other person had been road raging beforehand. And some people initially panic, but then return to the scene or stop further up the block, yet are prosecuted as if they did not have that change of heart. In all cases, a criminal lawyer’s job is to look for weaknesses in the DA’s case, but also to get the DA to put these cases in perspective.
Importantly, hit and run charges can be uniquely difficult for the district attorney to prove. Hit and run cases are often based on imperfect eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence. Without police contact near the scene of the accident or guilty admissions from the suspect, these cases can be difficult for the state to prove at trial. A talented trial lawyer is a must for anyone charged with hit and run, if only to negotiate a better plea offer.
If the suspect/defendant has a professional license of any kind, it is essential that their defense factors in board reporting obligations and potential impacts to that license from any charges and convictions.
To schedule a free phone consultation,
please email: matt@handlaw.com
Include your phone number and basic information about the allegations against you. For professional license cases, attaching a PDF of the complaint is best, but at least indicate what license you hold and any upcoming deadline. For criminal cases, indicate what charges you are facing, plus the next court date and location. I will respond promptly. All emails and consultation with me are confidential.