Yellow Pages > News & Articles > Local Events

Hit-and-Run Penalties on Long Island Increased

Ralph C Monday, February 11, 2013

Long Island drivers will want to take notice of changes in the New York codes governing automobile accidents. Senator Lee Zeldin has just announced that his cosponsored bill, S.2503, has passed, effectively raising penalties for drivers who flee the scene of accidents without exchanging information with others involved and assisting victims with injuries.

The new bill was inspired by a recent hit-and-run accident which killed Erika Hughes, a 24 year old resident of Mastic in Suffolk County. Hughes was struck in a hit-and-run accident and then left to die at the scene. The driver who fled the accident was apprehended, but received only 1.3-4 years in prison as a sentence. Zeldin, troubled by the incident, proposed a bill that would promote hit-and-run fatalities to Class C felony status. A Class C felony can carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

One of the reasons for the change is that the previous writing of the law actually provided incentive for drivers to flee the scene of an accident if they happened to be intoxicated. Drivers who were drunk or on drugs would receive a smaller sentence if they fled the scene and were never charged with the second offense than they would have if they remained at the scene and were discovered to be intoxicated at the time of the accident.

It is unknown whether the driver who hit Hughes and left her to die was intoxicated or not since he did flee the scene. What is known is that she might have survived had she received prompt medical treatment. “Drivers, like the coward who left Erika to die on the road, should be accountable for their actions,” stated Zeldin. “That’s what this bill does. It sends a clear message that when you leave the scene of an accident, you are leaving the scene of a crime. And you will be punished severely for that offense.”

With the change in the legislation, it will be less likely that drivers will commit the hit-and-run felony, even if they are intoxicated, since the punishment will be more severe if they flee. This makes it more likely that the lives of victims like Hughes will be saved.

This is not the only new change to driving legislation in the state of New York either. Another bill, S.1919, sponsored by Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, also passed. This bill will increase the penalties for drivers who are caught driving with a suspended or revoked license. Drivers can recover their licenses by attending driving classes and fulfilling other DMV requirements.

ralph@longisland.com

Appears In: Local Events