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Judiciary committee pauses bill to stiffen penalties and allow restitution in serious hit-and-runs
Summary
Sen. Sessions’ bill would make leaving the scene that causes serious injury or death a class B felony and permit criminal restitution; the committee adopted a technical amendment and voted to carry the bill over for further work next week.
Senator Sessions asked the Judiciary committee on Friday to increase criminal penalties and permit restitution for drivers who leave the scene of crashes that cause serious injury or death, citing recent fatal cases from his district.
"Our current code almost incentivizes a person in a hit and run to leave the scene of an accident," Sessions said, and described a February 2023 case in Mobile in which John Wesley Holt was struck and killed and the driver pleaded only to leaving the scene. "The family had no avenue or recourse for any type of restitution for this whatsoever," Sessions said.
Katie Langer, who summarized the bill to the committee, said it makes…
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