Our client was charged with Duty to Stop for Accident Resulting in Damage to Vehicle in violation of Rhode Island General Laws 31-26-2. The law states, "The driver of any vehicle knowingly involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to it as possible, but shall immediately return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until he or she has fulfilled the requirements of § 31-26-3. A stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary."

If a person is convicted of violating this law, that are facing a misdemeanor conviction, may be imprisoned for a period not to exceed 6 months, a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), and/or his or her driver's license or operating privilege in the state may be suspended for a period up to six (6) months.

After doing our investigation into the facts and circumstances of the case, we were able to reach an agreement with the prosecutor to have our client's charge dismissed. Therefore, we were able to avoid the criminal penalties associated with the charge and a potential license suspension.