Amended
IN
Senate
June 17, 2020 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
January 06, 2020 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 13, 2019 |
Introduced by Assembly |
February 14, 2019 |
Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than that driver, or in the death of a person to immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident and provide specified personal information to the injured person or the occupants of the other vehicle and to any traffic or police officer at the scene of the accident.
Under existing law, if a vehicle accident results in permanent, serious injury or death, a person who violates the requirement to stop is subject to punishment by imprisonment in the state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in a county jail for not less than 90 days nor more
than one year, or by a specified fine, or both the imprisonment and fine. Existing law authorizes the court, in the interests of justice and for other reasons stated in the record, to reduce or eliminate the minimum imprisonment or fine requirements.
This bill would instead make a person who fails to immediately stop, as required, at the scene of an accident that resulted in a permanent, serious injury subject to punishment by imprisonment in a state prison for 2, 3, or 4 years, or in county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and a specified fine, and if the accident resulted in death, the person who violated those requirements would
be punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for
3, 4, or 6 years, or in county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and a specified fine.
This act shall be known, and may be cited as, Gavin’s Law.
(a)The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to a person, other than that driver, or in the death of a person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident and shall fulfill the requirements of Sections 20003 and 20004.
(b)(1)If the accident described in subdivision (a) results in injury, other than a permanent, serious injury, a person who violates subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or in a county jail for not more than one year, or by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that
imprisonment and fine.
(2)If the accident described in subdivision (a) results in permanent, serious injury, a person who violates subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). However, the court, in the interests of justice and for reasons stated in the record, may reduce or eliminate the minimum imprisonment required by this
paragraph.
(3)Except as provided in subdivision (c), if the accident described in subdivision (a) results in death, a person who violates subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, four, or six years, or in county jail for not less than 90 days nor more than one year, and by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). However, the court, in the interests of justice and for reasons stated in the record, may reduce or eliminate the minimum imprisonment required by this paragraph.
(4)In imposing the
minimum fine required by this subdivision, the court shall take into consideration the defendant’s ability to pay the fine and, in the interests of justice and for reasons stated in the record, may reduce the amount of that minimum fine to less than the amount otherwise required by this subdivision.
(c)A person who flees the scene of the crime after committing a violation of Section 191.5 of, or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192 of the Penal Code, upon conviction of any of those sections, in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed, shall be punished by an additional term of imprisonment of five years in the state prison. This additional term shall not be imposed unless the allegation is charged in the accusatory pleading and admitted by the defendant or found to be true by the trier of fact. The court shall not strike a
finding that brings a person within the provisions of this subdivision or an allegation made pursuant to this subdivision.
(d)As used in this section, “permanent, serious injury” means the loss or permanent impairment of function of a bodily member or organ.