§ 15.2-1716. Reimbursement of expenses incurred in responding to DUI incidents and other traffic incident...
A. Any locality may provide by ordinance that a person convicted of violating any of the following provisions shall be liable for restitution at the time of sentencing or in a separate civil action to the locality or to any responding volunteer fire or rescue squad, or both, for reasonable expenses incurred by the locality for responding law enforcement, firefighting, rescue and emergency services, including by the sheriff's office of such locality, or by any volunteer fire or rescue squad, or by any combination of the foregoing, when providing an appropriate emergency response to any accident or incident related to such violation:
1. The provisions of § 18.2-51.4, 18.2-266, 18.2-266.1, 29.1-738, 29.1-738.02, or a similar ordinance, when such operation of a motor vehicle, engine, train or watercraft while so impaired is the proximate cause of the accident or incident;
2. The provisions of Article 7 (§ 46.2-852 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 46.2 relating to reckless driving, when such reckless driving is the proximate cause of the accident or incident;
3. The provisions of Article 1 (§ 46.2-300 et seq.) of Chapter 3 of Title 46.2 relating to driving without a license or driving with a suspended or revoked license; and
4. The provisions of § 46.2-894 relating to improperly leaving the scene of an accident.
B. Personal liability under this section for reasonable expenses of an appropriate emergency response shall not exceed $1,000 in the aggregate for a particular accident or incident occurring in such locality. In determining the "reasonable expenses," a locality may bill a flat fee of $250 or a minute-by-minute accounting of the actual costs incurred. As used in this section, "appropriate emergency response" includes all costs of providing law-enforcement, fire-fighting, rescue, and emergency medical services. The court may order as restitution the reasonable expenses incurred by the locality for responding law enforcement, fire-fighting, rescue and emergency medical services. The provisions of this section shall not preempt or limit any remedy available to the Commonwealth, to the locality or to any volunteer rescue squad to recover the reasonable expenses of an emergency response to an accident or incident not involving impaired driving, operation of a vehicle or other conduct as set forth herein.
(1994, c. 617, § 15.1-132.1; 1995, cc. 683, 685, 830; 1997, cc. 587, 691; 2001, c. 505; 2003, c. 796; 2004, c. 273; 2005, cc. 148, 366; 2006, c. 679.)
Sections: Previous 15.2-1710 15.2-1711 15.2-1712 15.2-1713 15.2-1713.1 15.2-1714 15.2-1715 15.2-1716 15.2-1716.1 15.2-1717 15.2-1717.1 15.2-1718 15.2-1718.1 15.2-1719 15.2-1720 NextLast modified: April 16, 2009