Illinois- I hit a parked car and left

civilian001

New Member
Jurisdiction
Illinois
The story goes: I hit a parked car, my car is rendered undriveable/unmovable. I had my dog with me, a pitbull, so I left my car there while I took him home. My dog is very protective of me so I did not want him around a stressful situation with the cops around- it being late at night. My home is a few blocks from the accident. When I got back, the car was gone- towed away by the city. Right off the bat I could be charged with a hit and run considering I was not at the scene of the accident. I do not know what to do and I do not want to accidentally screw myself even further than I already have. Thanks for the time and read-through.

*Note: No trolling- even on a site like this, ran into some as it is part of the internet culture.
 
Call the police right now and explain what happened and why. Yes, you may get cited for leaving the scene. But it will be so much worse if you do nothing and they come after you.

Did you think to leave a note on your car or the other car? No?

You could have just put your dog in the car, and closed the door while waiting for the police. He could have barked as much as he wanted to until they released you from the scene.

Were you drunk? That would go a long way to explaining why you weren't thinking straight.
 
How long were you gone? If you are only a few blocks away it seems odd the car would be towed so quicky.
I wouldn't worry about a citation.... Typically the language on those statutes includes intent to avoid responsibility. Simply leaving and coming back as you described wouldn't likely amount to much.
The time it took you to return is more suspect than anything, but lacking evidence there is no reason not to accept your explanation.
 
I do not know what to do and I do not want to accidentally screw myself even further than I already have. .


Hire yourself a criminal defense attorney no later than COB Wednesday, 08 May.

The attorney you hire will TRY to lessen your pain.

There are a couple ways to defend your actions, but NOT if you keep spewing the story you recited above, even if its true.

You don't have to PROVE you didn't do it.

The state has to prove you did it.

From this point forward don't say a peep about this incident to anyone but your lawyer.

If the cops arrive before you can hire a lawyer, simply give name, DOB, address, etc., be polite, don't resist, don't apologize, don't explain, simply say, "Sorry, I invoke my right to remain silent, I want a lawyer."

No matter what tricks, ploys, scams, jokes, spewed by the cops at you, keep your piehole closed.
 
I wouldn't worry about a citation.... Typically the language on those statutes includes intent to avoid responsibility. Simply leaving and coming back as you described wouldn't likely amount to much
Could you cite the applicable Illinois statute that will allow a person to leave the scene of an accident with an unattended vehicle without leaving the required information just because said person subsequently returns at some point in the future. Please also cite the Illinois statute that defines the time limit that applies...I would like to learn. Thank you.
 
The story goes: I hit a parked car, my car is rendered undriveable/unmovable. I had my dog with me, a pitbull, so I left my car there while I took him home. My dog is very protective of me so I did not want him around a stressful situation with the cops around- it being late at night. My home is a few blocks from the accident. When I got back, the car was gone- towed away by the city. Right off the bat I could be charged with a hit and run considering I was not at the scene of the accident. I do not know what to do and I do not want to accidentally screw myself even further than I already have. Thanks for the time and read-through.

*Note: No trolling- even on a site like this, ran into some as it is part of the internet culture.
Could you please clarify the time line? How long did it take you to walk a few blocks and back? 1/2 hour? A hour?
Did you have your cell on you?
 
Could you cite the applicable Illinois statute that will allow a person to leave the scene of an accident with an unattended vehicle without leaving the required information just because said person subsequently returns at some point in the future. Please also cite the Illinois statute that defines the time limit that applies...I would like to learn. Thank you.

No need to be snitty.
You are changing my words.
This is a matter of discretion to which the elapsed time would be significant. As described, I believe few police officers would issue such a citation, and the shorter the elapsed time the easier it would be to defend.
The intent of these statutes is to hold drivers responsible. Had the car been driven from the scene it would be easier to show intent to avoid responsibility.
Certainly there are circumstances that would easily justify a citation, but to jump to that conclusion you must assume facts not provided.
We don't even know if the driver did or did not leave a note on the vehicle.
 
No need to be snitty.
You are changing my words.
This is a matter of discretion to which the elapsed time would be significant. As described, I believe few police officers would issue such a citation, and the shorter the elapsed time the easier it would be to defend.
The intent of these statutes is to hold drivers responsible. Had the car been driven from the scene it would be easier to show intent to avoid responsibility.
Certainly there are circumstances that would easily justify a citation, but to jump to that conclusion you must assume facts not provided.
We don't even know if the driver did or did not leave a note on the vehicle.

I didn't change your words. Your post seemed to imply that it's ok to do something illegal if you don't get in to "too much" trouble. I was just asking for clarification on the law you relied on to post that.
 
I implied no such thing. I acknowledged the common intent behind the statutes.
This is a letter/spirit of the law scenario which depends on circumstances we don't fully know, but as given suggest a misdemeanor citation is unlikely (although the elapsed time could change that and is at the officer's discretion).
It seems our OP is not going to return and fill in the blanks.
 
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