The strongest defenses attack the knowledge element. If the driver did not know or reasonably could not have known an accident occurred, the leaving charge fails. Identification defenses matter when the driver was located after the fact and someone else may have been operating the vehicle. On the DUI side, defenses shift to challenging retrograde extrapolation testimony (using later BAC to estimate BAC at time of driving). The chicagoduilawyer.net brand also focuses on necessity defenses: driver believed they had to leave for safety reasons, or medical emergency required continuation. Judges apply these narrowly, but factual foundation can produce mitigation even where full acquittal is not available.
