Hit and run in Colorado
You were charged with leaving the scene of an accident in Colorado. People call it hit and run. The State claims you were in a crash and failed a duty to stop, exchange information, or report. Call (303) 291-0555.
What this charge means
Hit-and-run cases are about duties after an accident: stopping, providing information, and reporting when the statute requires it. Injury crashes and property-damage crashes are charged differently. Read your complaint for the exact duty the DA says you broke.
Being scared, uninsured, or intoxicated is not a legal excuse. Those facts may explain behavior to a jury or a prosecutor, but they do not erase the duty. Alcohol counts are often filed in the same case.
How these cases usually start
Witness plates, camera footage, damage matching, and later traffic stops. Sometimes the driver returns to the scene. Sometimes the case is built days later. Do not try to fix it with the other driver without counsel if a criminal case is open.
Issues that decide these cases
- Were you the driver?
- Did a duty to stop or report apply?
- What notice did you have of the crash? Especially in low-speed or multi-lane facts.
- Injury vs. property-only theories.
- Stacked DUI or DUR counts.
Penalties (confirm before you rely on this)
The class of this offense and the jail or prison range depend on the current statute, the date of the alleged offense, and any sentence enhancers on the complaint. We will not publish a class or a year range on this page as if it were locked 2026 law. Your charging document and the current Colorado Revised Statutes control.
Enhancers can include prior convictions, a domestic-violence designation, a protection-order count, a weapon fact, or consecutive sentences on other counts. Probation eligibility is not automatic. Past results do not guarantee future results. This page is not a promise about your sentence.
Court process in plain English
After an arrest, advisement is usually the first court date. The judge covers rights and bond. Advisement is not arraignment. You do not have to enter a plea there.
The district attorney decides whether to file, add counts, drop counts, or decline. Felony cases that start in county court may have a preliminary-hearing track before district-court arraignment. Discovery, motions, and trial setting follow if the case does not resolve.
Bond is a court order, not a finding of guilt. Conditions can include no contact, no weapons, testing, and GPS. Violating a condition can create a new filing. If you have questions about a condition, call the firm before you guess.
Why people call this firm on this charge
People call because their charge is listed, because they need a trial lawyer, or because a family member is in custody and the next court date is soon. Wrongfully accused or guilty as charged, the job is the same: test the State’s proof and protect the record.
The Reisch Law Firm works from one office in Westminster and takes cases around Colorado. We try cases in Colorado state court and in federal court when the case goes there. Call (303) 291-0555.
Related Colorado charges
What to do now
Call (303) 291-0555. Tell us the county and what the complaint or ticket says. The Reisch Law Firm defends Colorado criminal cases from one office in Westminster and takes cases around the state.
Call (303) 291-0555
The Reisch Law Firm
1490 West 121st Avenue, Suite 202, Westminster, CO 80234
Phone: (303) 291-0555
Back to Colorado Criminal Defense (A-Z)
Past results do not guarantee future results. Attorney advertising.
This page is general information. It is not legal advice and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. The charging document and the current Colorado Revised Statutes control.
