One woman is injured and one man is in jail following a late night hit and run accident involving a Tulsa Police Department patrol car.

Reports say a Tulsa police officer conducted a traffic stop in the 8500 block of East Skelly at approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday night. During the stop, a pickup truck carrying a box trailer slammed into the back of the patrol vehicle. The accident pinned a woman involved in the traffic stop between the police vehicle and her vehicle.

The driver of the pick up fled the scene, but police followed a trail of oil which led them to the home of Johnnie Hunter. After reportedly finding his truck hidden near a neighbor's house, Police arrested Hunter on complaints of leaving the scene of an injury accident, interfering with emergency personnel and failure to stop.

The injured woman was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a broken leg and a possible broken pelvis.

Oklahoma law requires those involved in a motor vehicle accident to remain at the scene of the accident, provide accurate identification, and render aid to anyone injured in the accident (47 O.S. § 10-104). In accidents involving great bodily injury or death, a driver will be required to submit to blood alcohol testing. Leaving the scene of the accident is a crime, and providing false identification is prosecuted the same as hit and run.

The penalties a driver faces for hit and run depend upon whether the accident involved only property damage or whether it resulted in personal injury or death.

  • Damage to vehicle only: If a person leaves the scene of an accident involving vehicle damage only, he or she is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $500. Furthermore, the person may be ordered in a civil judgment to pay damages three times greater than the actual damages incurred in the accident.
  • Nonfatal injury: Failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving nonfatal injury is a felony punishable by 10 days to 2 years in prison and a fine ranging from $50 to $1000. A hit and run driver involved in an injury accident will also have his or her driver's license revoked.
  • Fatality: If a driver is involved in a fatal accident and fails to remain at the scene, he or she is guilty of a felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a fine ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. The hit and run driver's license will be revoked.

In general, a person who leaves the scene of an accident does so out of fear: he or she may have been drinking or may be under the influence of drugs, he or she may have been distracted by a cell phone or other device, or he or she may have outstanding warrants. Regardless of the source of fear, leaving the scene of an accident almost always makes the situation worse. Hit and run drivers rarely escape detection and prosecution. If you or someone you love needs criminal defense representation after a car accident, call attorney Ryan Coventon at (405) 417-3842.