Quick answer: A Prince George’s County hit and run charge means leaving the scene of a crash before you have stopped and exchanged information. Property-damage cases (Transp. § 20-103) are a misdemeanor carrying up to 2 months and a $500 fine; leaving the scene of an injury crash (§ 20-102) carries up to 1 year and a $3,000 fine, and the felony tiers reach 5 to 10 years when a driver knew or should have known someone was seriously hurt or killed. A hit and run lawyer can often reduce the charge, argue you did not know a crash happened, or win probation before judgment so nothing lands on your record.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland traffic cases, including hit and run charges filed in the District and Circuit Courts in Prince George’s County.
What Counts as Hit and Run in Prince George’s County?
Hit and run is the everyday name for leaving the scene of an accident. Maryland does not require a dramatic high-speed crash — the duty to stop is triggered by any collision, whether you clip a car in a Bowie parking lot, back into a fence on US-301, or sideswipe someone on the Capital Beltway. Three statutes do the work.
- § 20-102 covers crashes that injure or kill someone. You must stop immediately, return to the scene, and stay until you have met your duties.
- § 20-103 covers crashes that only damage an attended vehicle or attended property. The stop-and-remain duty is the same, but the penalty is lower.
- § 20-104 is the duty you owe once you have stopped: give your name, address, and vehicle registration, show your license on request, and render reasonable aid to anyone injured.
The key point: leaving the scene of even a minor crash is a crime. Prosecutors in Upper Marlboro do not have to prove you caused the accident — only that a collision happened and you left without doing what the law required. That is why a “it was just a scratch” reaction so often turns into a criminal charge.
What Are the Penalties for Hit and Run in Maryland?
Penalties climb sharply with the harm caused. The felony tiers turn on a specific mental-state element: the driver knew or reasonably should have known the crash might cause serious injury or death. That element is often where a case is won or lost.
| Scenario | Statute | Class | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage to attended vehicle or property only | § 20-103 | Misdemeanor | 2 months and/or $500 |
| Failure to give info / render aid | § 20-104 | Misdemeanor | 2 months and/or $500 |
| Leaving the scene of a crash causing bodily injury | § 20-102(a) | Misdemeanor | 1 year and/or $3,000 |
| Leaving the scene of a crash causing death | § 20-102(b) | — | 5 years and/or $5,000 |
| Knew/should have known serious bodily injury would result | § 20-102(c) | Felony | 5 years and/or $5,000 |
| Knew/should have known death would result | § 20-102(c) | Felony | 10 years and/or $10,000 |
The old idea that a hit and run is “only a $1,000 ticket” is simply wrong. Even the injury misdemeanor reaches a $3,000 fine, and a conviction of any tier can push your car insurance up for years. For a closer look at how the two ends of the ladder differ, see our breakdown of property damage versus injury hit and run and the statewide hit and run overview.
Don’t just pay it. Injury, serious-injury, and fatal hit and run charges are must-appear — there is no prepayable fine and you have to go to court. A property-damage citation may show a preset amount, but paying that amount is a guilty plea that creates a conviction on your record. Requesting a trial or a waiver hearing costs nothing extra and keeps a non-conviction disposition, like probation before judgment, on the table. Paying forecloses it.
How Many Points Does a Hit and Run Add in Maryland?
A hit and run conviction is not just a fine. The MVA assesses points that can lead to suspension or revocation, and those points sit on your record independent of any jail or fine the court imposes.
| Offense | Points |
|---|---|
| Failing to stop after a crash damaging attended vehicle or property | 8 |
| Failing to stop after a crash damaging unattended vehicle or property | 8 |
| Failing to stop after a crash resulting in bodily injury or death | 12 |
| Failure to report an accident | 5 |
Eight points triggers suspension and 12 points lets the MVA move to revoke your license. Our guide to Maryland’s point system explains the thresholds, and the premium impact is covered in our note on insurance and hit and run. Keeping the conviction off your record is usually the difference between a manageable case and years of higher costs.
What Are the Best Defenses to a Hit and Run Charge?
Hit and run cases are more defensible than most drivers expect. Police reports rely on assumptions, witnesses misread events, and the State still has to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. The defenses that work most often in Prince George’s County include:
- You didn’t know a crash occurred. Minimal contact, loud road noise, or a scrape you never felt can defeat the knowledge the statute requires — especially on the felony tiers, which demand you knew or should have known someone was hurt.
- No injury or no qualifying damage. If the harm doesn’t fit the tier charged, the charge can be reduced from a § 20-102 injury count to a § 20-103 property count, or dismissed.
- You weren’t the driver. Registration in your name does not prove you were behind the wheel. Identity is frequently the weakest part of the State’s case.
- You tried to comply. Stopping and looking for the owner of an attended vehicle, or reporting the crash when no one was present, can satisfy the statute.
- The evidence doesn’t add up. Damage patterns, video, and photos often contradict the accusation, and an improper stop or interrogation can suppress statements.
Hit and run is also frequently charged alongside other offenses, such as reckless driving or a DUI investigation, and handling the whole case together usually produces the best result. Early restitution to the other driver can also help persuade a prosecutor to reduce the charge.
Can I Get PBJ and Avoid a Conviction?
Often, yes — especially on the lower tiers. Probation before judgment under Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 6-220 lets a judge accept a guilty finding but withhold the conviction, place you on probation, and discharge the case cleanly if you comply. A PBJ is not a conviction, so it keeps points off your record and keeps a criminal hit and run off background checks.
PBJ is realistic for property-damage and lower injury cases, harder for the felony tiers, and something you have to ask for the right way — it is not automatic. For the bigger picture of how a case unfolds, see what happens after a hit and run charge and our follow-up on Maryland hit and run cases.
What Should I Do If PG County Police Contact Me?
Most hit and run cases start with a phone call: an officer asks you to “come in and talk.” That conversation is where drivers talk themselves into a charge. Before you say anything:
- Don’t give a statement or explanation before you speak with a lawyer.
- Don’t assume the case is minor because the damage looked small.
- Do save photos, insurance details, and any notes about what happened.
- Do call a Maryland traffic lawyer before you call the police back.
We regularly deal with Prince George’s County police and prosecutors on a client’s behalf, which often heads off the mistakes that make a case worse.
“A person convicted of a violation of subsection (a) of this section is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $3,000 or both.” — Md. Code, Transp. § 20-102
Where We Defend Hit and Run Cases in Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County hit and run charges are heard in the District Court in Upper Marlboro and Hyattsville, and felony cases move to the Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro. Many of these crashes happen on the county’s busiest corridors — the I-95/495 Capital Beltway, US-301, MD-210 (Indian Head Highway), and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
We represent drivers across the county, including Upper Marlboro, Hyattsville, Bowie, Greenbelt, College Park, Laurel, Lanham, Oxon Hill, Temple Hills, Clinton, Suitland, District Heights, and Mount Rainier. If you’re facing any related charge, our Prince George’s County traffic lawyer page covers the full range of defense work we do here.
Not always. Property-damage and ordinary injury hit and run are misdemeanors under Transp. sections 20-103 and 20-102(a). It becomes a felony only when the driver knew or should have known the crash would cause serious bodily injury or death, which carries up to 5 or 10 years.
Knowledge is an element the State must prove. If contact was minimal or you genuinely did not realize a crash occurred, that can be a complete defense, and it is especially important on the felony tiers, which require that you knew or should have known someone was seriously hurt or killed.
Misdemeanor hit and run charges are heard in the District Court in Upper Marlboro or Hyattsville. Felony charges are handled by the Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro. Injury and fatal cases are must-appear, so there is no option to prepay and skip court.
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, 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.