New ohio hit-and-run law starts today

Tougher penalties for leaving an accident scene

Updated: Friday, 17 Sep 2010, 6:08 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 17 Sep 2010, 6:08 AM EDT

Jordan Burgess

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Starting today, Ohio's hit and run drivers will face tougher penalties.

It's always been a crime to leave the scene of a crash, but a loophole prevented stiff penalties.

Now leaving the scene can be a felony charge in any accident, not just in construction zones.

This new law came about because of a construction worker who was hit on Interstate 75 near the Third Street exit. The driver left the scene but was later tracked down. He ended up with only a fine, and no jail time.

That's because under the old law, leaving the scene was only a felony if you made the victim's injuries worse by leaving. The new law makes it a felony regardless if you end up injuring someone.

Under the new law, leaving the scene could mean six months to a year if you seriously injure somebody, and one to five years if you kill somebody.

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