Quick answer: A Maryland hit-and-run charge can trigger three separate proceedings at once: the criminal case, an MVA action against your license, and a possible civil lawsuit from the other party. Where the criminal case is heard depends on the tier — property-damage and bodily-injury hit-and-run are misdemeanors handled in District Court, while serious-injury and fatal hit-and-run are felonies that move to Circuit Court. The most important early step is to stop talking to investigators and call a lawyer before you say anything that identifies you as the driver.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland traffic and criminal-traffic cases. A hit-and-run charge often arrives weeks after the crash — a summons in the mail once police trace a plate, a camera clip, or paint transfer back to a vehicle. It carries the same legal weight as being arrested and released, and what you do before your first court date can decide the whole case.
Which Court Will Hear Your Case?
The court depends on the severity tier. Leaving the scene of a property-damage crash under Md. Code, Transp. § 20-103 and leaving a bodily-injury crash under § 20-102 are both misdemeanors, tried in the District Court of Maryland. Only the top tiers — serious bodily injury or death — are felonies, which can be tried only in Circuit Court. Felony charges usually begin in District Court and are forwarded to Circuit Court, often after a grand jury indictment.
| Hit-and-run tier | Statute | Classification | Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property damage only | § 20-103 | Misdemeanor (up to 60 days / $500) | District Court |
| Bodily injury | § 20-102(a) | Misdemeanor (up to 1 year / $3,000) | District Court |
| Serious bodily injury | § 20-102 | Felony (up to 5 years / $5,000) | Circuit Court |
| Death | § 20-102 | Felony (up to 10 years / $10,000) | Circuit Court |
Leaving the scene of an injury crash is a misdemeanor, not a felony — only serious injury and death are felonies. For the full penalty breakdown, see Maryland hit-and-run laws: property damage vs. injury.
What Happens at the First Appearance and Bond?
If you were arrested at or near the scene, a District Court commissioner sets your release conditions — own recognizance, an unsecured promise to appear, or a cash or corporate bond. If the charge arrived by mail as a summons, there is no bond stage; it simply orders you to appear on a set date.
Felony cases carry a heavier posture. Because serious-injury and fatal hit-and-run expose you to years in prison, a judge may set a secured bond and conditions such as surrendering your license — and counsel involved before the bail review can change those conditions.
A hit-and-run summons is not a payable ticket. There is no box to check, no fine to pay online, and no way to make it go away by mailing a check. It is a must-appear criminal charge. If you miss the court date, a judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest and you can face a separate failure-to-appear charge on top of the original one. Treat the date as mandatory.
Three Cases at Once: Criminal, MVA, and Civil
A single hit-and-run accident can open three proceedings on separate tracks, each with its own decision-maker, timing, and consequences. Resolving one does not dispose of the others.
| Track | Who runs it | What’s at stake | Standard of proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal | District or Circuit Court | Jail, fine, criminal record | Beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Administrative (MVA) | Motor Vehicle Administration | Points, suspension, revocation | Its own administrative rules |
| Civil | The other party’s lawsuit | Money damages | Preponderance of the evidence |
What Is the MVA Doing to My License?
The Motor Vehicle Administration acts on your driving record independently of the criminal court. Under the MVA point schedule, leaving the scene of a property-damage accident commonly carries 8 points, and the injury and felony tiers carry more, which can trigger suspension or revocation. Because the tracks are separate, the MVA can move on your license while the criminal case is pending, and those points feed your insurance — one more reason a non-conviction matters. See how the points work in Maryland’s point system in a nutshell, and what a conviction costs in how insurance companies treat traffic convictions in Maryland.
Can the Other Driver Sue Me?
Yes. The other party can file a civil suit for vehicle damage, medical bills, and other losses, separate from the criminal charge. A civil case only proves liability by a preponderance of the evidence — a lower bar than “beyond a reasonable doubt” — so you can beat the criminal charge and still owe money in the civil case, or the reverse.
Your auto insurance may defend and cover the claim, but a hit-and-run can complicate coverage, and if you were uninsured you may face a separate charge for that — see driving without insurance in Maryland. Resolving the other party’s damage often helps at criminal negotiation and sentencing, too.
What Should You Do Right After Being Charged?
The decisive issue in most hit-and-run cases is whether the State can prove you were the driver — owning the vehicle is not enough. Police often try to close that gap by getting the owner to admit they were driving, sometimes by implying they already have video. The biggest mistakes happen before court even starts.
- Don’t talk to investigators without a lawyer. You aren’t required to answer questions, and politely declining is not an admission. An off-hand “I might have been driving” can supply the one piece of proof the State was missing.
- Don’t assume they have video. Officers are allowed to imply they have evidence they don’t. Don’t talk yourself into a confession over footage that may not exist.
- Preserve your own evidence. Keep photos, repair estimates, and anything showing where you were, and don’t rush to repair or hide the vehicle — that reads as consciousness of guilt.
- Call a lawyer first. Counsel can deal with the officer or prosecutor for you and head off an avoidable admission.
If your real defense is that you never knew a collision happened, that is its own argument — the law requires that you knew or had reason to know contact occurred. See accused of a hit-and-run you didn’t know happened.
How Does the Criminal Case Move Forward?
- Charge and service. The case is filed and served, usually by a summons in the mail setting your first court date.
- First appearance. You appear — or, for many misdemeanors, your lawyer can appear without you — and the court confirms the charge and schedule.
- Discovery. The defense obtains the police report, witness statements, photos, video, and the State’s basis for saying you were the driver — which usually reveals how strong the identity proof really is.
- Pretrial negotiation. Depending on the evidence, the case may end in dismissal, a reduction, or a probation before judgment under Crim. Proc. § 6-220 that avoids a conviction and the points. Weak identity proof means a strong negotiating position.
- Trial. The State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt both that an accident triggered the duty to stop and that you were the driver who left. The defense presses whichever element is weakest.
One timing note: misdemeanor hit-and-run is generally subject to Maryland’s one-year statute of limitations from the accident date, while the felony tiers have none — worth checking whenever a charge arrives long after the crash.
Talk to a Lawyer Before You Talk to Anyone Else
The most valuable thing you can do after a hit-and-run charge is avoid handing the State the identity proof it may otherwise lack, and get someone managing all three tracks. A Maryland hit-and-run lawyer can review the charge, evaluate the identity evidence, deal with the investigator, protect your license at the MVA, and build the defense from there.
It depends on the tier. Property-damage and bodily-injury hit-and-run are misdemeanors heard in the District Court of Maryland. Serious-injury and fatal hit-and-run are felonies and can be tried only in Circuit Court, usually after being forwarded from District Court.
Yes. The Motor Vehicle Administration acts on your driving record independently of the criminal court. Leaving the scene of a property-damage accident commonly carries 8 points, and the injury and felony tiers carry more, which can lead to suspension or revocation even while the criminal case is pending.
Yes. The other party can bring a civil suit for vehicle damage, medical bills, and other losses, separate from the criminal charge. A civil case only has to prove liability by a preponderance of the evidence, so you can beat the criminal charge and still owe money in the civil case, or the reverse.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español. For the broader picture, see the complete Maryland insurance violations and hit-and-run guide.
Last updated: September 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. § 20-102, § 20-103, § 20-104; Md. Code, 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.