H1823 — An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act

Summary

An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act

Bill Text

• Full text Current

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The bill amends penalties for operating snow vehicles or recreation vehicles involved in collisions, establishing specific punishments for leaving the scene of a collision resulting in bodily injury or death.

• Section 26B

  shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 → person, not resulting in the death of another person, shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 1 year or by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

  The punishment for non-fatal collisions has been changed from a fine only to include the possibility of imprisonment as well.

• Section 26B

  (d) Whoever operates a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle and, without stopping and making known theirs name, address and the registration number of his snow vehicle or recreation vehicle, leaves the scene after knowingly colliding with or otherwise causing bodily injury to another person shall, if the injuries result in the death of another person, be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years or by a fine of not more than $5,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.

  This establishes a new penalty for leaving the scene of a collision that results in death.

• Section 26B

  (d) → (e)

  The subsections have been renumbered to accommodate the addition of new penalties.

• Section 26B

  (e) → (f)

  The subsections have been renumbered to accommodate the addition of new penalties.

Sponsors

• Kathleen R. LaNatra · Primary

Subjects