California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a four-bill package on September 25 that significantly toughens penalties for repeat DUI offenders, a move that could reshape how the state handles impaired driving cases but leaves injured victims to navigate a separate civil legal system to recover damages.
The centerpiece, SB 907, known as “Braun’s Law,” makes leaving the scene of an injury crash chargeable as a felony and adds enhanced penalties when the driver has a DUI, reckless driving, or gross vehicular manslaughter conviction within the past 10 years, according to the Governor’s Office and CalMatters. Companion bill AB 1546 allows prosecutors to charge a third DUI within 10 years as a felony, a step that previously required a fourth offense.
While the laws signal a tougher stance on repeat offenders, they do not automatically compensate the people those offenders injure. California personal injury firm Barry P. Goldberg, A Professional Law Corporation notes that tougher sentences punish offenders but do not pay medical bills, replace lost wages, or address pain and suffering. The firm’s car accident lawyer in Santa Clarita, CA can explain how a pending criminal case fits alongside a civil claim.
A conviction does not decide a civil case, but California law shapes the claim that follows. Under Civil Code § 3294, courts have allowed punitive damages against drivers who chose to drive while intoxicated. After a hit-and-run crash, uninsured motorist coverage can pay the claim, but Insurance Code § 11580.2 requires physical contact, a report to law enforcement within 24 hours, and a sworn statement to the insurer within 30 days. Most injury claims must be filed within two years under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, however long the criminal case takes.
“A felony charge shows the state takes this seriously. It doesn’t pay a single medical bill,” said Barry P. Goldberg, the firm’s founder and a recognized authority on uninsured and underinsured motorist law in California. “When a hit-and-run driver is never found, your own UM coverage is often the only path to recovery, and insurers enforce every deadline.”
The new laws may increase pressure on offenders, but injured drivers still face strict civil deadlines. The implication is clear: criminal punishment and civil compensation operate on separate tracks, and victims must act quickly to preserve their rights.
