In Minnesota, hit and run penalties run from a misdemeanor for property-damage-only collisions up to a felony carrying three years in prison when someone dies. The severity turns on what harm the collision caused and, at the top of the ladder, whether you caused the collision at all. A conviction also triggers automatic license revocation, potential civil liability, and years of insurance consequences.
Misdemeanor for Property Damage Only
Leaving the scene of a collision that damaged another vehicle or property, but injured no one, is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute 169.09, Subdivision 14(d) and (e).1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.09 – Collisions The rule is the same whether the other vehicle was attended or unattended at the time.
As a standard Minnesota misdemeanor, the ceiling is 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. First-time offenders without injuries involved often end up with a fine and probation rather than jail. The conviction still goes on your record, and the insurance and civil consequences that follow can outweigh the criminal fine.
Gross Misdemeanor for Bodily Harm
If someone was injured, the penalty climbs sharply. Under Subdivision 14(b), leaving the scene of a collision that caused bodily harm carries up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $3,000.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.09 – Collisions That 364-day figure is the ceiling for a gross misdemeanor, one day short of the felony threshold.
This tier applies whether or not you caused the collision. A driver who was rear-ended and drove away without exchanging information or checking on the other person can face this charge if the other party was hurt. Courts commonly add probation, community service, or a driver improvement course.
Felony for Great Bodily Harm or Death
The felony tier under Subdivision 14(a) is structured this way:1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.09 – Collisions
- Death: up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
- Great bodily harm: up to two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.
- Substantial bodily harm: up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.
“Great bodily harm” and “substantial bodily harm” are defined terms under Minnesota Statute 609.02. Great bodily harm covers injuries with a high probability of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or long-term loss of a bodily function. Substantial bodily harm covers temporary but serious loss of function, fractures, and similar injuries.
Why This Tier Targets Drivers Who Didn’t Cause the Crash
The felony language catches many people off guard. By its terms, Subdivision 14(a) applies to drivers who “did not cause the collision” but left anyway. The reasoning is direct: if someone is dying on the road and you drive off, that decision alone warrants a felony, whether or not the crash was your fault.
A driver who both caused the collision and fled faces the bodily-harm penalty under Subdivision 14(b) for the hit-and-run itself, plus separate charges for the underlying conduct. When there is a death or serious injury, prosecutors typically add criminal vehicular homicide or criminal vehicular operation charges under Sections 609.2112 through 609.2114. Combined exposure from those separate counts can far exceed the hit-and-run charge on its own.
What Triggers These Charges
Minnesota Statute 169.09 requires every driver in a collision to stop at the scene, or as close as possible without blocking traffic, and check what was struck.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.09 – Collisions If the collision caused injury, death, or damage to another person’s vehicle, you must stay until you have exchanged information.
The required information is your name, date of birth, mailing address or email address, and vehicle registration plate number. You must show your license to any peace officer at the scene or investigating afterward. If you don’t provide insurance details on the spot, you have 72 hours to give your insurer’s name and local agent’s contact information to the other driver or to law enforcement.
If someone is injured, you must also provide reasonable assistance, meaning calling emergency services or helping arrange transport to a hospital. The statute doesn’t require you to perform medical treatment, but you can’t drive away while someone needs help.
Hit an unattended vehicle and can’t find the owner? Leave a written notice on the vehicle with your name, address, and a description of what happened, then promptly report the collision to a nearby police department.
Automatic License Revocation
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety must revoke your license if you are convicted of failing to stop, identify yourself, and render aid at a collision that resulted in injury or death.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 171.17 – Revocation The revocation is mandatory. Property-damage-only convictions can also lead to license action, especially with prior traffic offenses on record.
Reinstatement carries a $30 administrative fee for revocations outside the alcohol, drug, and criminal vehicular operation categories, according to the Department’s published fee schedule.3Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Driver’s License and ID Card Fees Depending on the circumstances, you may also need to pass a written knowledge test, vision exam, or road skills test before driving privileges come back.
CDL Disqualification
A hit-and-run conviction hits commercial drivers harder because of federal rules that sit on top of the state charge. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration classifies leaving the scene of an accident as a “major offense” under 49 CFR 383.51, with these mandatory disqualification periods:4eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
- First offense: one-year disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle, or three years if you were transporting hazardous materials at the time.
- Second offense: lifetime disqualification. A state may allow reinstatement after ten years with an approved rehabilitation program, but a further conviction bars reinstatement for good.
These disqualifications apply regardless of which vehicle you were driving when the hit-and-run occurred. A conviction in your personal car still costs you the CDL.
Civil Lawsuits and Punitive Damages
The criminal case is only part of the exposure. Victims can sue for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering, and fleeing rarely helps a defendant’s credibility in front of a jury.
Minnesota uses modified comparative fault under Statute 604.01. A plaintiff can recover damages as long as their share of fault is not greater than the defendant’s; awards are reduced by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault, and a plaintiff more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 604.01 – Comparative Fault; Effect
Punitive damages are also on the table when a driver acted with deliberate disregard for others’ safety. Minnesota Statute 549.20 requires clear and convincing evidence that the defendant knew their actions created a high probability of injury and proceeded anyway.6Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 549.20 – Punitive Damages A conscious choice to flee a serious injury scene can meet that standard.
How Long Prosecutors and Victims Have to File
For misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor hit-and-run offenses, prosecutors have three years from the collision to file charges.7Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 628.26 – Limitations There is no statute of limitations at all when the collision caused someone’s death. The three-year clock pauses while a suspect is out of state, and it pauses while physical evidence undergoes DNA analysis unless the defense can show law enforcement intentionally delayed the analysis for advantage.
Civil claims for personal injury and property damage run under Minnesota Statute 541.05, which gives victims six years from the collision date, not from the date the driver is identified.8Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 541.05 – Various Cases, Six Years Wait too long and the right to sue is gone, even if the driver later surfaces.
Insurance Fallout and SR-22
Auto insurers treat a hit-and-run conviction as a serious moving violation, often rating it in the same range as a DUI. Premiums spike, and some insurers decline to renew altogether.
Minnesota may also require an SR-22 certificate, which is proof of financial responsibility that your insurer files with the state. SR-22 requirements in Minnesota typically last three years, and any lapse in coverage during that window can restart the clock and prompt a new license suspension. The filing itself doesn’t change your coverage, but it labels you as high-risk for as long as it is in force.