Car crash fees for police and fire response? | Bellevue car crash attorney

Accident Response Fees?

A woman in Winter Haven, Florida was involved in a car accident in February.  Almost immediately after the crash, local police officers and firefighters showed up at the scene.  The quick response wasn't the surprise to the driver Shirly Kimel.  Instead it was a $315 bill she received from the city for the cost of the police and fire department responding.

Kimel stated “I always thought this sort of thing was covered by my taxes.”  It used to be.  But last July, Winter Haven became one of a few dozen cities in the country to start charging “accident response fees.” The idea is to shift the expense of tending to and cleaning up crashes directly to at-fault drivers.  Either they, or their insurers, are expected to pay.

The problem is that car insurance is not likely to cover this expense which leaves the driver stuck with the bill.  With the downturn in the economy and local governments trying to make up for lost revenues, creative measures such as this accident response fee and other types of fees are popping up around the country.