Will Stiffer Penalties for Hit and Run Drivers in Pennsylvania Really Make a Difference?
As a Philadelphia car accident attorney who has been prosecuting hit and run cases for over three decades, I have long called for tougher laws applicable to hit and run offenders. I have also called for more stringent enforcement of these laws. Without teeth, the current or new hit and run offender laws are meaningless.
Soon Pennsylvania hit and run drivers will face up to 10 years in prison for fatal hit and run accidents, up three years from the current seven year maximum. Additionally, while there is no change to the minimum sentence of one year in prison, the crime has been upgraded from a third degree offense to a second degree felony. The new hit and run law will take effect on September 4, 2012.
There is almost not a week that goes by that the experienced Philadelphia hit and run accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily are not contacted by a victim or their family who has sustained a catastrophic injury or even worse, death, as the result of an irresponsible hit and run driver and hit and run accident. Lives are often permanently altered by the actions and non-actions of these irresponsible and cowardly individuals who leave the scene of an accident.


