Denver Hit & Run — Vehicle Attended by a Person (C.R.S. 42-4-1602)

Leaving the Scene of an Accident (Damage to an Attended Vehicle)

When a vehicle is hit and someone is present — driving it or attending it — Colorado law treats leaving as a crime, not “just insurance.” Even if damage is minor, prosecutors see this as walking away from a person, not a bumper.

If you’re facing a hit-and-run charge in Denver, early defense matters — fast.

✅ What Colorado Law Requires

C.R.S. 42-4-1602 + 42-4-1603 + 42-4-1606

If you are involved in an accident that causes damage to a vehicle that is driven or attended by any person, you must:

1. Stop at the scene (or as close as safely possible).

   ▪︎ C.R.S. 42-4-1602(1)

2. Remain at the scene

   ▪︎ Until all required duties are completed.

3. Perform the required duties under C.R.S. 42-4-1603(1):

   ▪︎ Provide your name, address, and vehicle registration

   ▪︎ Exhibit your driver’s license upon request

   ▪︎ Provide insurance information

   ▪︎ Render reasonable assistance if requested

4. Report the accident.

   ▪︎ C.R.S. 42-4-1606 (duty to report applies regardless of whether someone else already called)

➡️ The duty to report does not disappear just because:

   • Someone else called 911

   • Police are on their way

   • “We’ll just handle through insurance later”

You can comply with your legal duties without giving self-incriminating statements.

Legal duty to stop, remain, provide info, and report.

Constitutional right not to incriminate yourself.

Both can be honored — without speaking to investigators.

⚠️ Penalties & “Charge Stacking” — The Real-World Problem

Here’s what most people don’t realize about hit-and-run cases:

Police stack charges.

Like potato chips. They never stop at just one.

When a vehicle is attended — meaning someone was:

• driving it, or
• standing next to it, or
• sitting inside it as a passenger (even if the driver walked into the convenience store) —

officers almost never write only:

42-4-1602 — Leaving the scene (attended vehicle)

They typically pile on additional counts:

➡️ Typical stack: 12 + 12 + 4 = 28 points.

Twenty-eight points.

DMV only needs 12 points in 12 months to suspend an adult license.

42-4-1603 (duty to give information/render aid) is not a standalone charge.

It is a duty statute that is enforced through 1601, 1602, or 1606 — the counts that carry penalties and DMV points.

Stacking gives the system leverage:

• More counts = more pressure
• More points = easier path to suspension
• More filings = more negotiating “weight”

One bumped mirror → multiple charges → license in jeopardy.

In many cases, the real work happens before charges are filed.

If insurance has resolved the damage and responsibility is clear, sometimes the case never gets filed —

but that outcome requires timing and control, not assumptions.

Defense goal:

🔹 Unstack the charges

🔹 Analyze each statutory obligation separately

🔹 Protect the driver’s record and license

Every case is fact-specific, and officers and prosecutors make independent charging decisions —

but stacking is standard practice in Colorado.

🚓 How Hit-and-Run Investigations Actually Start

Most investigations begin before charges are filed. Common triggers include:

• Plate readers (LPR camera hits)
• Surveillance camera pulls (businesses / intersections / home Ring systems)
• A letter from a police traffic investigations unit requesting inspection of the vehicle
• Insurance reporting + subrogation inquiries

Do not assume investigators “just want your side of the story.”

✅ My Role in Pre-Charge Intervention

✔️ Protect your rights

✔️ Communicate with investigators for you

✔️ Control the narrative — instead of reacting to it

You speak directly with me — not a case manager.

Defense Strategies from a Denver Hit & Run Attorney

Every case is unique. Strategic defenses may include:

• Identity (can they prove you were the driver?)
• Knowledge (did the driver reasonably know a collision occurred?)
• Extent of damage (is the “damage” supported by credible evidence?)
• Mitigation / civil resolution (insurance + restitution can open the door to dismissal or reduction)

Early involvement = best leverage.

Collateral Consequences

• License revocation (12 points)
• Insurance cancellation or massive rate increase
• Civil liability exposure
• Permanent criminal record (Class 2 misdemeanor traffic conviction)

A single moment shouldn’t define your future.

❓ FAQ

🔗 Looking for other hit-and-run pages?

➡️ Denver Hit and Run – Serious Bodily Injury (Felony)
➡️ Denver Hit and Run – Resulting in Death (Felony)

📞 Call Me Today

If you’ve been accused of leaving the scene of an accident in Denver, don’t talk to investigators before talking to counsel.

Call Denver Hit & Run Lawyer Monte Robbins at 303-355-5148

Free, confidential consultation.

You speak directly with me — not a screener.