Arkansas Hit and Run Laws: Charges, Penalties, and License Impact

Under Arkansas hit and run laws, leaving the scene of an accident can be charged anywhere from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class B felony, with punishment ranging from 90 days in jail up to 20 years in prison depending on whether the crash caused property damage, physical injury, or death. A conviction also triggers license revocation or points on your driving record, and it does nothing to erase what you may owe the other driver in a civil suit.

What You Must Do at the Scene

Every driver involved in a collision in Arkansas has to stop. If someone was injured or killed, you must stop at the scene or as close to it as possible without blocking traffic, and stay until your legal duties are complete.1Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-101 – Requirements in Accidents Involving Death or Personal Injuries The same requirement applies when only another vehicle or personal property was damaged.2Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-102 – Accidents Involving Damage Only to Vehicle or Personal Property of Another Person

Once stopped, you have to give the other driver (or a passenger, or anyone attending the other vehicle) your name, address, and vehicle registration number, and show your license on request. If someone is hurt, you must provide reasonable assistance, including arranging transportation to a doctor or hospital when the injury is obvious or the person asks. If police have been called, you have to wait at least 30 minutes for officers to arrive, unless you need to leave to get an injured person to the hospital.3Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-103 – Duty to Give Information and Render Aid

Hitting a parked car counts too. You must stop and either locate the owner or leave a written note in a visible spot with your name, address, contact information, and a brief description of what happened. Clip a mailbox, fence, or utility pole and the rule is similar: take reasonable steps to find the property owner and provide your name, address, and registration number, or leave that information with the damaged property.4Arkansas State Legislature. Arkansas Code 27-53-105 – Striking Fixtures or Other Property Upon Highway

How the Charge Is Classified

Arkansas ties the severity of a hit and run charge to what happened in the crash. Property-only cases are graded by dollar amount; any case with an injured person starts as a felony.

Property Damage Only

When no one is hurt, the charge turns on the amount of damage:2Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-102 – Accidents Involving Damage Only to Vehicle or Personal Property of Another Person

  • Under $1,000: Class B misdemeanor
  • $1,000 to $9,999: Class A misdemeanor
  • $10,000 or more: Class D felony

The statute requires that you “knowingly” violate your duties, so the prosecution has to show you were aware you had been in a collision and left anyway.

Injury or Death

Failing to stop and comply with your duties after an accident that causes physical injury is a Class D felony. If the accident caused serious physical injury or death and you knowingly or recklessly failed to stop, the charge becomes a Class B felony, the second-highest felony classification in Arkansas.1Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-101 – Requirements in Accidents Involving Death or Personal Injuries The gap between “physical injury” and “serious physical injury” matters: it is the difference between a six-year maximum and a 20-year maximum.

Fines and Prison Time

Each classification carries its own maximum sentence and fine under Arkansas’s general sentencing statutes:

The five-year minimum for a Class B felony is mandatory. A judge has no discretion to go below it. And none of these numbers include restitution, court costs, or civil damages.

What Happens to Your License

If you are convicted under the injury-or-death statute, the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration is required to revoke your driver’s license. There is no discretion.1Justia. Arkansas Code 27-53-101 – Requirements in Accidents Involving Death or Personal Injuries The statute does not fix the length of the revocation or the point at which you can reapply; those details come through the DFA’s administrative process.

For every hit and run or leaving-the-scene violation, including the misdemeanor level, the DFA assigns 8 points to your driving record. The same 8-point value applies whether the crash involved fatal injuries, personal injuries, or property damage alone.7Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Violations and Points Enough points within a set period triggers a separate license suspension on top of whatever the criminal court orders.

How Long Prosecutors Have to File Charges

Driving away without being identified at the scene does not mean the case is closed. Arkansas gives prosecutors the following windows to file charges:8Justia. Arkansas Code 5-1-109 – Statute of Limitations

  • Misdemeanor hit and run (property damage under $10,000): one year from the date of the offense.
  • Class D felony (property damage of $10,000 or more, or physical injury): three years.
  • Class B felony (serious injury or death): three years, since the three-year window covers felonies from Class B through Class D.

Surveillance cameras, paint transfers, witnesses, and license plate readers all give investigators ways to identify a driver long after the crash.

Civil Liability on Top of the Criminal Case

A criminal conviction does not settle what you owe the person you hit. The other driver keeps every right to sue for medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repairs, pain and suffering, and other damages. Fleeing the scene does not shield you from that liability and can make things worse before a jury, because leaving an injured person on the road is the kind of conduct that supports a claim for punitive damages on top of ordinary compensation.