(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 for a wager or for any race or for the purpose of making a speed record.
(2) No person shall (A) possess a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting an intent that it be used in a race or event prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection, (B) act as a starter, timekeeper, judge or spectator at a race or event prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection, or (C) wager on the outcome of a race or event prohibited under subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(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 his 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 fined not more than twenty thousand dollars or be imprisoned not less than two years or more than twenty years or be both fined and imprisoned.
(g) (1) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section shall be fined not less than seventy-five dollars or more than six hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than five years or be both fined and imprisoned, and for any subsequent offense shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned not more than five years or be both fined and imprisoned.
(2) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred fifty dollars or more than six hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned, and for any subsequent offense shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.
(3) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (b) or subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section shall be fined not less than seventy-five dollars or more than six hundred dollars or be imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned, and for any subsequent offense shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned not more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.
(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.
(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; P.A. 19-53, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 81-268 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing the minimum fine from $50 to $75 and the maximum fine from $100 to $200 for first offenses, and increasing the maximum fine for subsequent offenses from $200 to $600; P.A. 82-472 made a technical correction; P.A. 83-135 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing the maximum fine from $200 to $600 for a first offense and from $600 to $1,000 for a subsequent offense; P.A. 83-534 inserted new Subsecs. (a) and (d) re evading responsibility in an accident causing serious physical injury or death and the penalty therefor, redesignated the former Subsecs. and limited the former provisions re evading responsibility to accidents causing “physical injury as defined in section 53a-3” or injury or damage to property; P.A. 94-188 inserted new Subsecs. (d) and (e) re removal of vehicle from traveled portion of highway and redesignated the former Subsecs. (d) and (e) as (f) and (g); P.A. 97-291 amended Subsec. (f) to increase the maximum fine from $5,000 to $10,000 and the maximum term of imprisonment from 5 to 10 years; P.A. 06-173 amended Subsec. (c) to designate existing provision as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) prohibiting a person possessing a motor vehicle under circumstances manifesting an intent that it be used in a race or event prohibited under Subdiv. (1), acting as a starter, timekeeper, judge or spectator at such a race or event or wagering on the outcome of such a race or event; P.A. 09-120 added Subsec. (h) re motor vehicle impoundment or fine for violation of Subsec. (c)(1), effective July 1, 2009; P.A. 14-130 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re serious physical injury, amended Subsec. (b) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and amending same by replacing provisions re physical injury with provisions re serious physical injury and deleting provisions re injury or damage to property, adding Subdiv. (2) re accident that causes physical injury and adding Subdiv. (3) re accident that causes injury or damage to property, and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 15-211 amended Subsec. (f) by increasing maximum fine from $10,000 to $20,000, minimum term of imprisonment from 1 year to 2 years and maximum term of imprisonment from 10 years to 20 years; P.A. 16-94 amended Subsec. (g) by designating existing provision re person who violates provisions of Subsec. (b)(2) or (3) or Subsec. (c) as Subdiv. (1) and amending same to delete references to Subsec. (b)(3) and Subsec. (c) and replace “one year” with “five years”, and by adding Subdiv. (2) re person who violates provisions of Subsec. (b)(3) or Subsec. (c), and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 19-53 amended Subsec. (g) by adding new Subdiv. (2) re violation of Subsec. (c)(1), redesignating existing Subdiv. (2) as Subdiv. (3) and making a conforming change.