IF the reports are true as to Smith's actions after the crash, he may have committed a felony offense. AGAIN, to be clear, I have no idea what he did that night or if any of the rumors online are true. I am just saying that IF they have a SHREAD of truth in them it makes a lot of sense that he hired a lawyer.
Here's a relevant portion of the Illinois Vehicle Code:
Sec. 11???‚¬???401. Motor vehicle accidents involving death or personal injuries.
(a) The driver of any vehicle involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in personal 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 shall remain at the scene of the accident until the requirements of Section 11???‚¬???403 have been fulfilled. Every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.
(b) Any person who has failed to stop or to comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) shall, as soon as possible but in no case later than one???‚¬???half hour after such motor vehicle accident, or, if hospitalized and incapacitated from reporting at any time during such period, as soon as possible but in no case later than one???‚¬???half hour after being discharged from the hospital, report the place of the accident, the date, the approximate time, the driver's name and address, the registration number of the vehicle driven, and the names of all other occupants of such vehicle, at a police station or sheriff's office near the place where such accident occurred. No report made as required under this paragraph shall be used, directly or indirectly, as a basis for the prosecution of any violation of paragraph (a).
Basically the reference to section 403 means you have to give reasonable aid to an injured person in a crash. Here's a link to the whole section.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilc...&SeqEnd=101500&ActName=Illinois+Vehicle+Code.
If there's a suspicion of DUI, there's a whole other ball of wax there. Hypothetically, if someone was DUI and there was a crash with personal injury, I belive that's a felony too. I'd provide the link but I need to make sure my WEEK stream works.
Cheers,
VromanFan