(Long Island, NY) Assemblyman Edward Hennessey (D-Medford) introduced legislation to increase penalties for leaving the scene of an accident without reporting it to authorities (A.7315).
“All too often we hear of hit-and-run accidents with devastating consequences, changing victims’ lives forever,” Assemblyman Hennessey said. “The truth is, current penalties just aren’t strong enough. I’ve been working with Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota to create a bill with tougher penalties to make sure justice is served.”
Under this new legislation, the penalties would be increased for the driver in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injures or kills someone. These increased penalties would apply in cases where the driver has certain prior driving convictions including leaving the scene of an accident and/or had his/her license suspended or revoked because of refusal to submit to a chemical test, or because of a DWI conviction. The violation would be raised from a Class C to a Class B felony, and the jail-time penalty would be increased from almost two and a half years, with a maximum of seven years, to a possible sentence of five years, with a maximum of 15 years.
“It’s time to address this anomaly in state law that encourages drivers to leave the scene of accidents,” said Thomas Spota, Suffolk County District Attorney. “The penalty must be increased so that drivers who flee should not benefit in any way, especially those motorists who are intoxicated or impaired by drugs. We prosecute these cases aggressively, but simply put – the weak penalties hit and run drivers face must be enhanced.”
In July of 2011, 24-year-old Erika Hughes, a Mastic Beach mother of a 15-month-old daughter, died as the result of a hit-and-run accident. The driver was charged with leaving the scene of an accident without reporting it, a non-violent felony. The offending driver was driving with a suspended license at the time of the incident and had a previous criminal record. [1]
“We are dealing with lives here. It is my hope that this crucial piece of legislation will be enacted into law,” Assemblyman Hennessey concluded.
[1] http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/04/mastic-man-sentenced-in-fatal-hit-and-run/
