Committee advances tougher penalties and incentives to stop after crashes involving death or injury

Salt Lake City — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to favorably recommend a third substitute to House Bill 423, which seeks to remove a statutory incentive to flee after collisions that injure or kill people when impairment is involved.

Representative Ashlee Eliason, sponsor of the substitute, said the current code creates a perverse incentive for impaired drivers to avoid immediate testing and thus avoid stiffer penalties. The substitute aligns penalties so leaving the scene does not reduce accountability and adds a limited self-reporting window that can be considered in sentencing.

Family members provided emotional testimony. Brad Van Orman described his daughter Lindsay, who was killed in a hit-and-run, and urged the committee to close the gap in sentencing that he said left the offender subject to a lesser maximum penalty. "I've asked the investigator...there should be an enhancement because of the death in the hit and run," Van Orman said.

Glendon Mitchell recounted the death of a 13-year-old grandson in 2022 and emphasized that drivers who have multiple opportunities to render aid but flee should face tougher consequences. Jeremy Mitchell, who identified himself as a family member, told the committee he believed the driver knew a loophole in the law and that a tougher statute would discourage fleeing.

The committee adopted the third substitute and then favorably recommended the bill to the Senate floor (recorded as a 5-0 or 5 to 0 unanimous committee vote). Sponsors said the change includes a six-hour self-report window intended to encourage prompt reporting while still allowing prosecution to proceed.

The committee’s recommendation advances HB 423 to the full Senate for further consideration.