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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Phyllis Mundy |
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Mundy bill would close loophole in hit-and-run cases where drunk driver flees
HARRISBURG, Nov. 8 – State Rep. Phyllis Mundy has introduced legislation (H.B. 2013) to strengthen punishments for drivers convicted of leaving the scene of an accident.
Current state law classifies a drunken driving accident that results in serious injury or death as a second-degree felony, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison per victim. The second-degree felony designation also provides for a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Mundy wants to stiffen the lesser penalties for hit-and-run accidents – currently, state law actually makes it legally advantageous for a drunk driver to flee the scene of a traffic accident. A hit-and-run where death or serious injury occurs is classified as a third-degree felony, with mandatory minimum sentences of 90 days or one year, and fines of $1,000 or $2,500 based on whether the victim suffered serious bodily injury or death. The maximum sentence for a third-degree felony is seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
“A drunk driver who hits someone and takes off, and is later tried and convicted on a hit-and-run charge, receives a lesser punishment than he would have had he staid at the scene to render assistance or simply face up to what he’d done,” Mundy said. “This loophole makes no sense from a legal standpoint, and it certainly makes no sense to victims and their families.”
Mundy’s proposed legislation would reclassify a hit-and-run accident where death or serious bodily injury results as a second-degree felony. She said a weightier sentence would be in accordance with the seriousness of the offense.
“Leaving the scene of a car accident is not to be taken lightly, and a more severe penalty would make sure that people understand that the justice system will hand down a sentence that matches the severity of the crime,” Mundy said.
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CONTACT: Ruth A. Myers |