Can You Be "Taxed" for Getting in a Bike Accident?

MSNBC.com has an interesting story an accident "tax" that has a local angle. Many town and cities throughout the United States have started to bill for non-essential emergency services for an accident. The most common example is a bill being issued for a fire truck that responds to an accident scene. The issue with this is that a fire truck, when there isn't a fire, is not a "core service" like an ambulance or police car.

The story highlights an incident in Chicago Heights, Illinois where a man was rear ended at a red light while on his motor scooter. Chicago Heights issued him a bill for the fire truck. Even though the other driver was at fault, the at-fault driver's insurance company refused to pay the bill and the driver of the motor scooter was essentially "taxed" by Chicago Heights for being a victim of an accident.

The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices are familiar with many medical providers trying to "cash in" on an injured person's case by billing the auto insurance company instead of the injured person's medical insurance. What is disturbing about this trend of billing for a responding vehicle is that fire, police, and other emergency responders are the kind of services citizens should reasonably expect. It is not reasonable to get a bill for police responding to a crime scene or a fire truck responding to a fire, so just because it is a bicycle accident or other kind of accident doesn't mean that it is fair. And that's why it is fair to classify this as a "tax" on an accident. Talk about adding insult to injury.

If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are confidential and free.