Quick answer: A Howard County hit and run charge means you allegedly left the scene of a crash before meeting your duties under Maryland law. Property-damage cases (Transp. § 20-103) carry up to 2 months in jail and a $500 fine; a crash with bodily injury (§ 20-102) carries up to 1 year and $3,000; and if you knew or should have known the crash might cause serious injury or death, it becomes a felony with up to 5 or 10 years. Every one of these is a must-appear charge in the District Court in Ellicott City, so you cannot just pay a fine and move on.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland traffic and criminal-traffic cases, including hit and run charges in Howard County. Leaving the scene is one of the most misunderstood offenses on the books — plenty of drivers never realized a collision happened, or thought a small parking-lot tap wasn’t worth stopping for. The law disagrees, and the consequences are real.
What Counts as Hit and Run in Howard County?
Hit and run — officially “leaving the scene of an accident” — is a crime whenever a driver in a collision fails to stop and do what the law requires, and it is not just for serious wrecks. Under Md. Code, Transp. § 20-104, any driver in a crash that damages an attended vehicle or property, or injures someone, must stop, give their name, address, and vehicle registration, show a license on request, and render reasonable aid to anyone hurt. Leaving before you finish those steps is the offense, even if the crash itself wasn’t your fault.
Maryland splits the charge by what the crash caused. A collision that only damages an attended car or property falls under § 20-103. A crash that injures or kills someone falls under § 20-102, which carries the steepest penalties. Hitting an unattended, parked car and driving off — the classic parking-lot ding — is its own offense under § 20-105, requiring you to locate the owner or leave a note. Even a minor crash becomes a crime the moment you drive away.
What Are the Penalties for Hit and Run in Maryland?
The penalty tracks the harm. Property-damage cases are misdemeanors with modest jail exposure; injury and death cases climb into felony territory where the driver knew or should have known someone could be badly hurt. Here is the full ladder, straight from the statute:
| Offense | Statute | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving scene — damage to attended vehicle/property | § 20-103 | Misdemeanor: up to 2 months jail and/or $500 |
| Leaving scene — unattended vehicle/property | § 20-105 | Misdemeanor: up to 2 months jail and/or $500 |
| Failing to give info or render aid | § 20-104 | Misdemeanor: up to 2 months jail and/or $500 |
| Leaving scene — bodily injury | § 20-102(a) | Misdemeanor: up to 1 year and/or $3,000 |
| Leaving scene — death | § 20-102(b) | Up to 5 years and/or $5,000 |
| Serious bodily injury — driver knew or should have known | § 20-102(c) | Felony: up to 5 years and/or $5,000 |
| Death — driver knew or should have known | § 20-102(c) | Felony: up to 10 years and/or $10,000 |
Two details drive the felony tiers. First, the “knew or reasonably should have known” standard: the State has to prove you were aware, or should have been aware, that the crash might cause serious injury or death — a mental state that is often the whole fight. Second, “serious bodily injury” has a strict definition: a substantial risk of death, or serious permanent disfigurement or loss of function. A broken bone that heals is not automatically serious bodily injury, and that distinction can move a case from felony to misdemeanor exposure.
You can’t just pay this off. Every Maryland hit and run charge — including property-damage-only cases under § 20-103 — is a “must appear” offense. There is no preset fine to mail in, no box to check to make it go away. You or your attorney must show up in court, and a bench warrant can issue if you don’t. Treat any letter or citation as a criminal court date, not a parking ticket.
How Many Points Does a Hit and Run Add?
A conviction hits your driving record hard. Under Transp. § 16-402, failing to stop after a crash that damaged attended or unattended property is 8 points, and failing to stop after a crash that caused bodily injury or death is 12 points — the same total as a DUI conviction. Eight points can trigger a license suspension and 12 a revocation. The mechanics are on our Maryland point system guide, and a Howard County traffic lawyer can often keep points off entirely by reducing or resolving the charge.
The damage doesn’t stop at the MVA. Insurers surcharge a hit and run conviction heavily, and the injury and death tiers are criminal offenses that can surface on background checks for jobs and licensing. That’s why the disposition — conviction versus a reduced charge or probation before judgment — matters far more than the fine.
What Defenses Work in a Howard County Hit and Run Case?
Leaving the scene is a specific-intent-adjacent charge: the State generally has to show you knew a crash occurred and chose to leave. That opens real defenses. The most common ones I raise:
- You didn’t know a crash happened. A low-speed bump or a nighttime contact you felt but couldn’t identify — if you weren’t aware of the collision, you couldn’t have knowingly left it.
- You weren’t the driver. Owning the car isn’t the same as driving it, and identification is often weak.
- No injury occurred, or it wasn’t serious. A felony tier depends on medical proof of “serious bodily injury,” which is frequently contested.
- You did try to comply. Drivers who stopped, looked for the other party, or reported later have a strong argument they met the statute’s purpose.
- The stop or questioning was improper. Statements or evidence police obtained unlawfully can be suppressed.
A hit and run often travels with other counts, so we also defend the related driving without insurance, driving while suspended, and DUI/DWI charges that ride along with it. For how the property-damage and injury versions differ, see our guide on Maryland hit and run: property damage vs. injury.
Can I Get PBJ and Avoid a Conviction?
Often, yes — especially on the lesser tiers. Probation before judgment under Crim. Proc. § 6-220 lets a judge withhold a finding of guilt and place you on probation instead. Complete it and there is no conviction and no points from the charge. PBJ is a realistic goal in many property-damage and lower-level injury cases — a big reason not to walk in and plead guilty on your own.
The felony serious-injury and death tiers are much harder — judges are far more cautious, and PBJ is not guaranteed. But even there, reducing the charge to a misdemeanor or challenging the “knew or should have known” element can change everything. Early restitution and getting ahead of the police narrative both help. Whatever the tier, the outcome depends on the work done before your court date.
Where Are Howard County Hit and Run Cases Heard?
Most hit and run cases start in the District Court in Ellicott City, the county seat, where misdemeanor property-damage and injury charges are typically resolved. Felony serious-injury and death charges can move to the Circuit Court for Howard County, also in Ellicott City, where a jury trial becomes an option. Knowing which courtroom you’re in shapes the strategy from day one.
The crashes cluster on Howard County’s busy corridors — US-29 through Columbia, I-95 near Jessup and Elkridge, MD-100, and MD-32 — where high-traffic interchanges and Columbia’s shopping-center parking lots generate a steady stream of low-speed and unattended-vehicle cases. We represent drivers across the county, from Columbia and Elkridge to Clarksville and Fulton, including matters that begin in Ellicott City.
What Should I Do If Howard County Police Contact You?
Many hit and run cases begin days after the crash, when an officer calls and asks you to “come in and talk.” That conversation is where cases are won or lost. The single most useful thing you can do is decline to give a statement until you have a lawyer — explanations offered to sound cooperative are routinely used to prove you knew about the crash.
- Don’t answer questions or give a recorded statement without counsel.
- Don’t assume it’s minor because the damage looks small — the charge, not the dent, sets the stakes.
- Do save photos, dashcam footage, insurance details, and any notes about what happened.
- Do call a lawyer before you respond to police or the court.
We regularly deal with investigators and prosecutors on our clients’ behalf so avoidable mistakes never reach the file. For the broader picture, our overviews of what happens after a hit and run charge in Maryland and the main Maryland hit and run page walk through the process end to end.
It depends on the harm. Property-damage and basic bodily-injury cases are misdemeanors. It becomes a felony only when the driver knew or reasonably should have known the crash might cause serious bodily injury or death and that harm occurred, carrying up to 5 or 10 years.
No. Every Maryland hit and run charge, including property-damage-only cases, is a must-appear offense with no preset fine. You or your attorney have to appear in court, and skipping the date can lead to a bench warrant.
Not knowing a crash occurred is a genuine defense. The State generally must prove you were aware a collision happened and chose to leave, so low-speed or unattended-vehicle contacts you never noticed can defeat the charge.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. §§ 20-102, 20-103, 20-104, 20-105, 16-402; Crim. Proc. § 6-220. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.