Virginia Auto Accident: Death, Injury and Damage Stop – a Lawyer’s Reporting

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In Virginia, a driver involved in any vehicle accident “in which a person is killed or injured or in which an attended vehicle or other attended property is damaged shall immediately stop as close to the scene of the accident as possible without obstructing traffic”. Va. Code Ann. §46:2-894. Any such driver must provide his identification to the state police, a local law-enforcement agency, the person struck and injured, the driver or occupant of another involved vehicle, or the custodian of damaged property; and also shall “render reasonable assistance to any person injured in such accident, including taking such injured person to a physician, surgeon, or hospital if it is apparent that medical treatment is necessary or is requested by the injured person”. Id.

If his own vehicle accident injuries prevent immediate compliance with the foregoing, as soon as reasonably possible the driver shall report his identification to the state police or local law-enforcement agency and make a reasonable effort to locate the person struck, another involved vehicle driver or occupant, or the damaged property custodian. Violation constitutes a class 5 felony if a vehicle accident results in death, personal injury, or at least $1,000.00 property damage; and a class 1 misdemeanor if it only causes less than $1,000.00 property damage.