Wyoming Hit and Run Laws: Penalties and What to Do

Wyoming's hit and run rules are set by Wyoming Statutes 31-5-1101 through 31-5-1104, which require any driver involved in a crash to stop, share their information, and help anyone hurt. Penalties scale with the harm caused: leaving the scene of a property-damage crash is a low-level misdemeanor, while leaving a crash that injures or kills someone (Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1101) carries up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $5,000, and a mandatory one-year license revocation.

Your Legal Duty After a Crash in Wyoming

A car crash by itself is not a crime in Wyoming. The offense, commonly called hit and run or leaving the scene, happens when a driver fails to do what the law requires after a collision. Those duties are spelled out in Wyoming Statutes Title 31, Chapter 5.

Under Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1101, a driver involved in a crash that injures or kills someone must immediately stop at the scene, or as close to it as possible without blocking traffic, and remain there until the duties below are met. A driver who only damages another occupied or attended vehicle has the same stop-and-remain duty under Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1102.

Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1103 lists what the driver must then do. The driver must give their name, their address, and the registration number of the vehicle, and must show their driver's license on request, to the other driver, to any injured person, and to any police officer at the scene. The driver must also render reasonable assistance to anyone who is hurt, including arranging to take that person for medical treatment if it appears necessary or is requested.

Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1105 separately requires drivers to give immediate notice of a crash to local police, the highway patrol, or the county sheriff when the crash causes injury, death, or disabling property damage.

How Wyoming Penalties Scale With Harm

Wyoming penalties for leaving the scene depend on whether the crash caused property damage, injury, or death.

Property Damage Only

When a crash damages only another vehicle or property, leaving the scene is a misdemeanor. The penalty is set by Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1201(j), which covers violations of sections 31-5-1102 through 31-5-1108:

• First conviction: up to 20 days in jail, a fine of up to $200, or both
• Second conviction within one year: up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $300, or both
• Third or later conviction within one year of the first: up to 6 months in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both

Striking an Unattended Vehicle or Property

Under Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1104, a driver who hits a parked or unattended vehicle or other property must stop and either locate and notify the owner or operator or leave a written note in a conspicuous place on the struck property. The note must state the driver's name, address, and vehicle registration number. Failing to do so is a misdemeanor carrying the same penalties as a property-damage crash above.

Personal Injury or Death

Leaving the scene of a crash that causes personal injury or death is the most serious version of the offense. Under Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1101(b), a driver who fails to stop and comply may be imprisoned for up to one year, fined up to $5,000, or both. Unlike many states, Wyoming's leaving-the-scene statute applies the same maximum penalty whether the crash caused injury or death, and the statute does not separately label this offense a felony. A fatal crash may, however, expose a driver to additional charges, such as homicide by vehicle, under other parts of Wyoming law.

Driver's License Consequences

A hit and run conviction can cost a Wyoming driver their license. Under Wyo. Stat. 31-7-127, the Wyoming Department of Transportation must revoke the license of any driver convicted of failing to stop and render aid in a crash that resulted in personal injury or death, as required by Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1101.

The revocation period is one year. After a revocation, the driver must also file and maintain proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22-type filing) for three years from the date of revocation. A property-damage-only hit and run is not on the mandatory-revocation list, though it may still affect insurance and driving privileges.

What Counts as Leaving the Scene

The core of a hit and run charge is the driver's knowledge. The duties in Wyo. Stat. 31-5-1101 and 31-5-1102 apply to a driver who is involved in a crash and is aware, or should be aware, that a collision occurred. A driver who genuinely did not know a collision happened may have a defense, though this is a fact-specific question.

The duty is not limited to crashes with other moving cars. It covers occupied and attended vehicles (31-5-1102) and unattended vehicles and property such as a parked car, a fence, or a mailbox (31-5-1104). Leaving a note that meets the statute satisfies the duty when the owner cannot be found, but simply driving away does not.

What to Do If You Are the Victim of a Hit and Run

If another driver hits you and flees, the steps you take can protect both a future claim and your safety.

• Call 911 and report the crash to police. A police report documents that a hit and run occurred and starts an investigation that may identify the driver.
• Write down anything you remember: the other vehicle's make, model, color, and any part of the plate, plus the direction it fled.
• Gather evidence at the scene, including photos and the contact information of any witnesses. Nearby dashcam or surveillance footage can be valuable.
• Notify your own insurer promptly.

Because the at-fault driver in a hit and run is often never found, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage matters. Under Wyo. Stat. 31-10-101, every Wyoming auto liability policy must include UM coverage unless the named insured rejects it in writing. UM coverage is designed to pay an injured insured when the responsible driver is uninsured, and policies issued in Wyoming commonly extend that protection to hit and run drivers who are never identified. Check your own policy for how it handles an unidentified driver.

Wyoming is an at-fault state. If the fleeing driver is later identified, the victim can pursue a civil claim against that driver for medical bills, lost wages, vehicle damage, and pain and suffering. A personal injury claim in Wyoming generally must be filed within four years of the crash under Wyo. Stat. 1-3-105, and a property damage claim carries the same four-year deadline. If a person dies, a wrongful death claim must be filed within two years of the death under Wyo. Stat. 1-38-102. Claims against a government entity carry much shorter notice deadlines.

What to Do If You Are Accused of a Hit and Run

If you are accused of leaving the scene, what you do next can affect the outcome.

• If you realize you left a scene, the law still lets you fulfill some duties by promptly reporting the crash to law enforcement.
• Do not give a statement about fault or details before speaking with a lawyer, especially when the crash involved injury or death.
• Preserve evidence that supports your account, such as your route, your vehicle's condition, and any reason you did not know a collision occurred.

Common defenses turn on the facts. A driver who genuinely did not know a collision happened may lack the knowledge the statute requires. A driver who left briefly to summon help or out of a reasonable fear for personal safety may also have a defense, particularly if they reported the crash to police as soon as it was safe to do so. This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and an attorney can evaluate how Wyoming law applies to a specific case.