Sec. 14-224. Evasion of responsibility in operation of motor vehicles. Racing. Required removal of motor vehicle from traveled portion of highway.
Sec. 14-224. Evasion of responsibility in operation of motor vehicles. Racing.
Required removal of motor vehicle from traveled portion of highway. (a) Each
person operating a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident which causes
serious physical injury, as defined in section 53a-3, to or results in the death of any other
person shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give
his name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the person
injured or to any officer or witness to the death or serious physical injury of any person,
and if such operator of the motor vehicle causing the death or serious physical injury
of any person is unable to give his name, address and operator's license number and
registration number to the person injured or to any witness or officer, for any reason or
cause, such operator shall immediately report such death or serious physical injury of
any person to a police officer, a constable, a state police officer or an inspector of motor
vehicles or at the nearest police precinct or station, and shall state in such report the
location and circumstances of the accident causing the death or serious physical injury
of any person and his name, address, operator's license number and registration number.
(b) Each person operating a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident
which causes physical injury, as defined in section 53a-3, to any other person or injury
or damage to property shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed
and shall give his name, address and operator's license number and registration number
to the person injured or to the owner of the injured or damaged property, or to any officer
or witness to the physical injury to person or injury or damage to property, and if such
operator of the motor vehicle causing the physical injury of any person or injury or
damage to any property is unable to give his name, address and operator's license number
and registration number to the person injured or the owner of the property injured or
damaged, or to any witness or officer, for any reason or cause, such operator shall
immediately report such physical injury of any person or injury or damage to property
to a police officer, a constable, a state police officer or an inspector of motor vehicles
or at the nearest police precinct or station, and shall state in such report the location and
circumstances of the accident causing the physical injury of any person or the injury or
damage to property and his name, address, operator's license number and registration
number.
(c) (1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public highway for a
wager or for any race or for the purpose of making a speed record.
(2) No person shall (A) possess a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting
an intent that it be used in a race or event prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) act as a starter, timekeeper, judge or spectator at a race or event prohibited
under subdivision (1) of this subsection, or (C) wager on the outcome of a race or event
prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(d) Each person operating a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident
on a limited access highway which causes damage to property only shall immediately
move or cause his motor vehicle to be moved from the traveled portion of the highway
to an untraveled area which is adjacent to the accident site if it is possible to move the
motor vehicle without risk of further damage to property or injury to any person.
(e) No person who acts in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this
section may be considered to have violated subsection (b) of this section.
(f) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be
fined not more than ten thousand dollars or be imprisoned not less than one year nor
more than ten years or be both fined and imprisoned.
(g) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (b) or (c) of this section
shall be fined not less than seventy-five dollars nor more than six hundred dollars or be
imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned, and for any subsequent offense shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand
dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.
(1949 Rev., S. 2410; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 8; P.A. 81-268, S. 2; P.A. 82-472, S. 45, 183; P.A. 83-135; 83-534,
S. 10; P.A. 94-188, S. 9; P.A. 97-291, S. 3, 5; P.A. 06-173, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 81-268 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing the minimum fine from $50 to $75 and the maximum fine
from $100 to $200 for first offenses, and increasing the maximum fine for subsequent offenses from $200 to $600; P.A.
82-472 made a technical correction; P.A. 83-135 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing the maximum fine from $200 to $600
for a first offense and from $600 to $1,000 for a subsequent offense; P.A. 83-534 inserted new Subsecs. (a) and (d) re
evading responsibility in an accident causing serious physical injury or death and the penalty therefor, redesignated the
former Subsecs. and limited the former provisions re evading responsibility to accidents causing "physical injury as defined
in section 53a-3" or injury or damage to property; P.A. 94-188 inserted new Subsecs. (d) and (e) re removal of vehicle
from traveled portion of highway and redesignated the former Subsecs. (d) and (e) as (f) and (g); P.A. 97-291 amended
Subsec. (f) to increase the maximum fine from $5,000 to $10,000 and the maximum term of imprisonment from 5 to 10
years; P.A. 06-173 amended Subsec. (c) to designate existing provision as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) prohibiting a
person possessing a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting an intent that it be used in a race or event prohibited
under Subdiv. (1), acting as a starter, timekeeper, judge or spectator at such a race or event or wagering on the outcome
of such a race or event.
See Secs. 14-107 re liability of owner, operator or lessee of vehicle.
See Sec. 14-111(b), (h), (k) re suspension or revocation of operator's license.
See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.
See Sec. 14-112(a) re proof of financial responsibility.
See Sec. 14-226 re required reporting of injury to dog.
Failure to stop and assist is not actionable negligence. 123 C. 609. Cited. 136 C. 264. Cited. 145 C. 709. Cited. 203 C.
305. Cited. 219 C. 371. Cited. 227 C. 534. Cited. 240 C. 639.
Cited. 13 CA 638. Cited. 26 CA 145. Cited. 36 CA 710. Cited. 38 CA 685. Cited. 42 CA 460.
Charge of evading responsibility dismissed where it could not be ascertained whether pedestrian was dead or alive at
time of impact. 18 CS 367. To be convicted defendant must have been knowingly involved in an accident, and accident
must have involved injury to some person other than defendant or damage to property other than his. 22 CS 317. Cited.
Id., 361, 386. Only intention necessary for violation of this section is the doing of the acts prohibited. 23 CS 284. Cited.
Id., 413, 421. An error in judgment or lack of intention is not an excuse for failure to follow the directives of the statute.
24 CS 374. Cited. Id., 397. Cited. 32 CS 650.
Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 19. Even with no communication between the parties, circumstances can indicate a competitive
trial of speed where a conviction of racing will lie. Id., 75. If operator knew there was an accident, it is immaterial that he
believed no damage resulted. Id., 236. Cited. Id., 503; Id., 588. An error in judgment or lack of intention is not an excuse
for failure to follow the directives and mandates of the statute. 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 101. Where defendant who was involved
in automobile accident stopped his car but failed to give the required information it was not error to find him guilty of
evading responsibility and whether he was at fault is irrelevant. Id. Cited. Id., 229. Knowledge of damage caused by
accident is not an element within terms of the statute. It is enough for state to prove defendant was knowingly involved in
the accident and the accident caused damage to person or property of another. Id., 304, 305. To comply with this statute
defendant must, after the accident, render such assistance as is needed and give his operator's license and registration
numbers, as well as his name and address, to the other driver. Id., 305, 306. Cited. Id., 353; Id., 461 (fn 1). Cited. 4 Conn.
Cir. Ct. 408. History of statute reviewed; intent is to punish evasion of responsibility whether accident occurs on private
property or public highway. Id., 495. Statute applied where accident occurred in service station. Id. Defendant's admission
he struck a living object he thought to be a dog and had not stopped established his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in
absence of other evidence. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 316. When violation of this section occurred, Sec. 14-107 made proof of
registration in defendant's name of car involved prima facie evidence that he was operator and trial court could conclude
defendant's unsupported alibi did not rebut presumption statute created. Id., 561. Slight damage to plaintiff's car was
sufficient where the elements also existed to sustain defendant's conviction for evading responsibility. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 6.
Defendant properly arrested in another precinct two hours after violation of this section where local officer acted on speedy
information of two witnesses. Id., 55.
Subsec. (a):
Cited. 222 C. 672.
Cited. 12 CA 294. Cited. 22 CA 142. Cited. 45 CA 303. No authority for defendant's argument that court is required
to charge the jury that compliance with remaining duties of Subsec. are legally excused if defendant was arrested by police
while trying to render such assistance as defendant deemed reasonably necessary. 99 CA 233.
Subsec. (b):
Cited. 154 C. 23. Cited. 176 C. 451. Cited. 224 C. 911. Court concluded that to establish a violation of the statute the
state is not required to prove the defendant knew that the accident in which he was involved caused injury or damage to
property. 227 C. 534. Cited. 234 C. 301.
Cited. 28 CA 708. Cited. 45 CA 303. Whether defendant has knowledge that an accident caused injury or damage is
irrelevant to crime of evading responsibility; rather, it is a mandatory stop, ascertain and assist statute which provides
criminal penalties for the failure to do so. After proving that defendant was knowingly involved in an accident, further
proof that defendant failed to stop at the scene would be sufficient to support conviction under statute. 88 CA 90. Defendant,
despite initially assisting injured passenger in his vehicle after hitting a telephone pole, did not render assistance as required
by Subsec. because he then ran away from the accident scene, leaving the passenger in the car, and failed to call police or
other emergency personnel. 107 CA 717.
Although a race involves a trial of speed, a person can be found guilty of racing but not guilty of speeding. 24 CS 59.
Total strangers can race on the spur of the moment. Id.
Subsec. (d):
Cited. 222 C. 672.
Cited. 9 CA 686.
Subsec. (e):
Cited. 9 CA 686.