State v. Parish

310 P.2d 1082, 79 Idaho 75, 1957 Ida. LEXIS 194
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedMay 2, 1957
Docket8447
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 310 P.2d 1082 (State v. Parish) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Parish, 310 P.2d 1082, 79 Idaho 75, 1957 Ida. LEXIS 194 (Idaho 1957).

Opinions

SMITH, Justice.

Appellant was charged with and convicted of the indictable misdemeanor of failure to stop his motor vehicle at the scene of an accident and to render aid and furnish information, after striking and injuring two persons, in violation of the provisions of I.C. §§ 49-516.1 and 49-516.3.

Appellant on his appeal from the judgment of conviction and from the prder denying his motion in arrest of judgment, has saved for review the question of the sufficiency of .the information to charge a public offense.

The charging part of the information reads:

“That the said defendant, at and in Twin Falls County, State of I.daho, and on or about the 10th day of July, í'955, then and there being, did, then .and [78]*78there drive a certain Plymouth automobile in a westerly direction on U. S. Highway No. 30 and at point on U. S. Highway No. 30 approximately 31/2 miles east of Murtaugh, Idaho, did strike and injure, with said Plymouth automobile, one R. L. Brown and one E. R. Noble. That the said Archie Parish thereafter failed to stop at or near the scene of the accident and failed to give aid to the injured or inform anyone at the scene of the accident of his name, address or registration number of said Plymouth automobile.”

I.C. § 49-516.1, under which the information was intended to be drawn, in part, reads:

“(a) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible and shall then forthwith return to, and in every event remain at, the scene of the accident until he has fulfilled the requirement of section 49.516.3 * * *,
“(b) .Any person failing to stop or to comply with said requirements under such circumstances shall upon conviction be punished * *

I.C. § 49-516.3 requires the driver of a motor vehicle involved in such an accident to give his' name, address and motor vehicle registration number and to render aid to the injured.

I.C., sec. 49-516.1 does not expressly set forth the requisite of knowledge on the part of the driver, of the accident resulting in injury to another person; nor does the information allege such knowledge on the part of appellant driver.

Appellant contends that the information is fatally defective because it fails to allege, as an essential element of the offense, knowledge on the part of appellant, accused driver, of an accident resulting in injury to Brown and Noble, and his subsequent failure to stop and render aid. Appellant raised that question at the time of commencement of the trial before respondent had introduced any evidence, and thereafter by his motions, for a directed verdict, in arrest of judgment, and for a new trial.

I.C. § 18-114 reads:

“In every crime or public offense there must exist a union, or joint operation, of act and intent, or criminal negligence.”

In State v. Taylor, 59 Idaho 724, 87 P.2d 454, 460, the “intent” as used in the aforesaid section of the statute is construed to mean, “not an intent to commit a crime but is merely the intent to knowingly perform the interdicted act, or by criminal negligence the failure to perform the required act.” People v. Maggio, 90 Cal.App. [79]*79683, 266 P. 813, 815, holds that the intent “which need be proved is that involved in the knowledge of the facts requiring that the vehicle stop and that aid be rendered.”

The courts of the State of California from time to time have construed its motor vehicle “hit and run” laws, similar in import to Idaho’s statute. The present California law reads in part as follows:

“The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to * * * or death of any person shall immediately stop such vehicle * * * and shall fulfill the requirements of Section 482(a)." West’s Ann.Cal. Vehicle Code, § 480.

The holdings of California courts, which we deem decisive of the questions raised in this case, are to the effect that knowledge is an essential element of the offense, though the statute does not expressly require knowledge on the part of an accused driver, of the accident resulting in injury to another person. People v. Fodera, 33 Cal.App. 8, 164 P. 22; People v. Scofield, 203 Cal. 703, 265 P. 914; People v. Leutholtz, 102 Cal.App. 493, 283 P. 292; People v. Pahner, 10 Cal.App.2d 294, 51 P.2d 1143; People v. Odom, 19 Cal.App.2d 641, 66 P.2d 206; People v. Henry, 23 Cal.App.2d 155, 72 P.2d 915; People v. Dallas, 42 Cal.App.2d 596, 109 P.2d 409; People v. Kuhn, 139 Cal.App.2d 109, 292 P.2d 964. In People v. Fodera, supra, it is stated [33 Cal.App. 8, 164 P. 25]:

"* * * our reading of the section in question convinces us that the element of knowledge of the fact of the collision is necessarily to be implied from the requirements of the act, to the effect that drivers of such vehicles must stop- and render aid to those who may possibly have been injured in the collision. Moreover section 20 of the Penal Code, which is to be read together with and into the section under review, provides that ‘in every crime or public offense there must exist a union or joint operation of act and intent, or criminal negligence.’ ”

In People v. Graves, 74 Cal.App. 415, 240 P. 1019, 1020, appears the following:

“ * * * it is inconceivable to us that the Legislature ever intended to make the provisions of this section applicable to a person who was ignorant of the fact that the automobile which he was driving had struck another person. And it is with equal difficulty that we can bring our minds to believe that any jury would convict an accused of the violation of the provisions of said section, without being assured to a certainty that he had actual knowledge that his machine had struck a person * *

In People v. Rallo, 119 Cal.App. 393, 6 P.2d 516, 520, it is said:

[80]*80“ * * * One may not be deemed to be criminally guilty of failing to render aid to an injured person when he is ignorant of the fact that injury has been inflicted. The gist of this offense is the willful omission to render reasonable assistance to one who has been injured,” (Emphasis supplied.)

See also People v. Scofield, 203 Cal. 703, 265 P. 914; People v. Leutholtz, supra.

Knowledge on the part of the accused of the accident resulting in injury to another person does not require a showing by. the state, by direct testimony, that the accused actually knew that the motor vehicle he was driving had struck some one. All of the facts and circumstances indicative of-knowledge of such an accident may be considered by the jury in its determination of the fact of knowledge. In People v. Pahner, supra, it is stated [10 Cal.App.2d 294, 51 P.2d 1144]:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
310 P.2d 1082, 79 Idaho 75, 1957 Ida. LEXIS 194, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-parish-idaho-1957.