(Photo: WSDOT / Flickr)That’s one heck of a bill for going through tolls without paying.
A Virginia man didn’t realize that he had to pay tolls when he was driving through unmanned toll booths at night three years ago.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) took Bourcier to court because the fees racked up from $440 to more than $200,000, including late fees and interest, according to an online report from the NBC-4 TV station out of Washington, D.C.
Bourcier and VDOT came to a settlement, so he “only” owes $95,000, plus interest.
“They provided me with a stack of summonses that was 12 inches high, and me and my lawyers, the best that we could do was $40,000.” Bourcier told NBC-4. “Another kicker is they put me on a payment plan for $150 a month.”
Doing the math, this means at this monthly payment rate and the $55,000 due in interest, 33-year-old Bourcier (who has a good job now, by the way) would be 87 years old by the time he pays back the state agency, according to the NBC-4 report.
Bourcier admits he drove on the Dulles Toll Road from Reston, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., 3 1/2 years ago while looking for work, according to the report.
He wasn’t intentionally ignoring tolls. According to the NBC-4 report, Bourcier thought they were free because a friend had told him that when the toll booths were not monitored after 11:30 p.m., there wasn’t a charge to use the road.
BIG, BIG OOPS.
I’m sure it was all just a big (really big) mistake, but with these kinds of friends, who needs enemies?
For NBC-4’s Chris Gordon’s interview with Jason Bourcier, click here.
