(a) Each operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident which results in the death of any other person shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to any officer or witness to the death of any person, and if such operator of the motor vehicle causing the death of any person is unable to give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to any witness or officer, for any reason or cause, such operator shall immediately report such death 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 of any person and such operator's name, address, operator's license number and registration number.(b)(1) Each operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident which causes serious physical injury, as defined in section 53a-3, to any other person shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the person injured or to any officer or witness to the serious physical injury to person. If such operator of the motor vehicle causing the serious physical injury of any person is unable to give such operator's 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 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 serious physical injury of any person and such operator's name, address, operator's license number and registration number.(2) Each operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident that causes physical injury, as defined in section 53a-3, to any other person shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the person injured or to any officer or witness to the physical injury. If such operator of the motor vehicle causing the physical injury is unable to give such operator's 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 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 physical injury of any person and such operator's name, address, operator's license number and registration number.(3) Each operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident that causes injury or damage to property shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the owner of the injured or damaged property, or to any officer or witness to the injury or damage to property, and if such operator of the motor vehicle causing the injury or damage to any property is unable to give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to 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 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 injury or damage to property and such operator's name, address, operator's license number and registration number.(c)(1) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public highway or parking area for any race, contest, demonstration of speed or skill or street takeover. As used in this section, "street takeover" means taking over a portion of a public highway or parking area by blocking or impeding the regular flow of traffic with intent to cause disorder or create a nuisance for other users of such highway or parking area.(2) No person shall (A) possess a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting an intent that it be used in a race, contest, demonstration or street takeover prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) act as a starter, timekeeper or judge at any such race, contest, demonstration or street takeover, or (C) wager on the outcome of any such race, contest, demonstration or street takeover, or (D) knowingly incite or recruit by any action, method, device or means, including, but not limited to, electronic or social media, in advance of any such race, contest, demonstration or street takeover, any person for participation in the performance of any such race, contest, demonstration or street takeover.(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 such person's 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 subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section.(f) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) or subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section shall be guilty of a class B felony.(g)(1) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section shall be guilty of a class D felony.(2) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section or subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section shall be guilty of a (A) class A misdemeanor for a first offense, and (B) class D felony for any subsequent offense.(3) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor.(h) In addition to any penalty imposed pursuant to subsection (g) of this section: (1) If any person is convicted of a violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section and the motor vehicle being operated by such person at the time of the violation is registered to such person, the court may order such motor vehicle to be impounded for not more than thirty days and such person shall be responsible for any fees or costs resulting from such impoundment; or(2) if any person is convicted of a violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section and the motor vehicle being operated by such person at the time of the violation is not registered to such person, the court may fine such person not more than two thousand dollars, and for any subsequent offense may fine such person not more than three thousand dollars.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-224
(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 ; P.A. 09-120 , S. 1 ; P.A. 14-130 , S. 25 ; P.A. 15-211 , S. 28 ; P.A. 16-94 , S. 1 .)
Amended by P.A. 23-0203,S. 4 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2023.Amended by P.A. 23-0135,S. 39 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2023.Amended by P.A. 21-0175, S. 23 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2021 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2021.Amended by P.A. 19-0053, S. 3 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2019 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2019.Amended by P.A. 16-0094, S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2016 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2016.Amended by P.A. 15-0211, S. 28 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2015 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2015.Amended by P.A. 14-0130, S. 25 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2014 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2014.Amended by P.A. 09-0120, S. 1 of the the 2009 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2009. Failure to stop and assist is not actionable negligence. 123 C. 609. Cited. 136 C. 264 ; 145 C. 709 ; 203 Conn. 305 ; 219 C. 371 ; 222 C. 672 ; 240 C. 639. Cited. 9 Conn.App. 686 ; 13 CA 638 ; 26 CA 145 ; 36 Conn.App. 710 ; 38 Conn.App. 685 ; 42 CA 460 ; 45 Conn.App. 303 . 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 section is the doing of the acts prohibited. 23 Conn.Supp. 28 4. Cited. Id., 413, 421. An error in judgment or lack of intention is not an excuse for failure to follow the directives of statute. 24 CS 374. Cited. Id., 397; 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 statute; 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. 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 101. Cited. Id., 229. Knowledge of damage caused by accident is not an element within terms of 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 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; 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; statute applied where accident occurred in service station. Id., 495. 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 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 2 hours after violation of section where local officer acted on speedy information of 2 witnesses. Id., 55. Subsec. (a): Cited. 12 CA 294 ; 22 CA 142 . 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 . Statute does not provide an operator an excuse for failing to stop for any reason when such operator has satisfied the predicate elements of statute; because it is undisputed that defendant did not stop his vehicle and render assistance to the victim, jury reasonably could have concluded defendant violated Subsec. 125 CA 489 . Subsec. (b): Cited. 154 C. 23 ; 176 Conn. 451 ; 224 C. 911 . To establish a violation of statute, the state is not required to prove defendant knew that the accident in which he was involved caused injury or damage to property. 227 C. 534 . Cited. 234 Conn. 301 . Cited. 28 CA 708 . 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 . Subsec. not unconstitutionally vague as applied to defendant, and requirement to report identifying information set forth in Subsec. does not violate right against self-incrimination. 124 CA 294 . Evidence was sufficient to conclude that collision was result of unintentional conduct of defendant, therefore constituting an "accident" under section. 126 Conn.App. 52 . Evidence of removal of bark from tree struck by defendant's vehicle in accident was sufficient to prove damage to property under Subsec. 146 CA 701 . Although a race involves a trial of speed, a person can be found guilty of racing but not guilty of speeding; total strangers can race on the spur of the moment. 24 CS 59 .
See Sec. 14-107 re liability of owner, operator or lessee of vehicle. See Sec. 14-111(b), (h) 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.