Imagine this: you are driving your vehicle when you slam into another motorist (or worse, a pedestrian). As soon as you come to your senses, you realize that the accident is likely your fault. You are horrified at the thought that you might have injured or even killed another person.

Now is the moment of truth. What do you do?

It’s perfectly understandable to feel the urge to get away from this tragedy as fast as you can. Humans are ingrained with a fight-or-flight response to stress, and fleeing the scene of an accident is a natural extension of that instinct that we all possess.

Don’t do it.

Leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony in Nevada that is punishable by a minimum of two years in prison (and up to 15 years of incarceration) as well as a fine of between $2,000 and $5,000. In addition, such a reaction increases the odds that a jury will find you at fault in any subsequent personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death lawsuit (even if it turns out that you are not as liable as you think you are).

Two hit-and-run accidents occurred this month in Las Vegas. According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, a woman driving a Mercedes on Interstate 15 slammed into a pickup truck, causing it to roll over. She then struck an SUV, and the impact ejected that vehicle’s driver onto the roadway. As a result, 44-year-old Inaya Sabra was killed. The Mercedes driver fled the scene and is now being sought by police. The suspect is believed to be 31-year old Natalie Dubuisson.

And this past weekend, the family of National Guardsman Ronald Grimes mourned his death at a memorial service. The 21-year old motorcyclist was killed in Las Vegas after being hit by a pickup truck that swerved into his lane. The driver of the truck fled the scene and police continue to search for him. Ironically, Grimes’ daughter Lei’anna was born on the day of his memorial service.