The city of Harrisburg PA, that model of fiscal responsibility, has devised a way out of their financial mess.
Each accident victim will be charged a Vehicle Extrication Fee of $500. I assume that pertains to use of the Jaws of Life, etc., rather than just opening a door and helping you out.
But, who knows?
Discuss...
So they've decided that they should over burden their small claims courts instead because this is where it's going to lead.... Brilliant!
Holding people responsible for their actions and the consequences of their actions isn't a bad idea imo.
It applies only if they have to extract you. The person who caused the accident is the one billed.
foxtrapper wrote: It applies only if they have to extract you. The person who caused the accident is the one billed.
That would have been important to note in the OP. I don't see anything wrong with holding people responsible for their actions but if I had to be cut out of a wreck that someone else caused, not talking following too close and ended up rear ending them or something equally stupid, I'd be beyond ticked.
I'll extract myself, thank you very much. 
N Sperlo wrote: I'll extract myself, thank you very much.
Hypothetical situation: Your vehicle has rolled and you are upside down. What now? Ejection seat might be a bad idea.
In reply to 1988RedT2:
Was there a flip over fee that I missed? 
On a similar note, Vermont at their discretion will charge folks for all expenses leading to wilderness rescue. IE if you go off the the back of a ski mountain and get yourself lost, you get to pay every penny of the expense used to rescue you.
sachilles wrote: On a similar note, Vermont at their discretion will charge folks for all expenses leading to wilderness rescue. IE if you go off the the back of a ski mountain and get yourself lost, you get to pay every penny of the expense used to rescue you.
sachilles wrote: On a similar note, Vermont at their discretion will charge folks for all expenses leading to wilderness rescue. IE if you go off the the back of a ski mountain and get yourself lost, you get to pay every penny of the expense used to rescue you.
I fully support this. I think EMS and rescue types are honorable for putting themselves in harms way to help others, often on a purely volunteer basis. But they need training and specialized equipment, so why not charge for their services?
Easy there, fellas. I can just see that whole 'charge at discretion for backwoods rescue' thing turning into a problem. Like this: plane crash. Takes just as much effort to resue as it does to find the guy who skiied the wrong direction. Or how about the search for those guys from the Bounty due to Hurricane Sandy? They knew the storm was coming. The Coast Guard spent a wad rescuing them; should they be charged?
Can't afford the rescue? Just die!
I don't see this.
Curmudgeon wrote: Easy there, fellas. I can just see that whole 'charge at discretion for backwoods rescue' thing turning into a problem. Like this: plane crash. Takes just as much effort to resue as it does to find the guy who skiied the wrong direction. Or how about the search for those guys from the Bounty due to Hurricane Sandy? They knew the storm was coming. The Coast Guard spent a wad rescuing them; should they be charged?
Not to mention that presumably, what we pay taxes for locally is to provide those types of services - hmm, bill the non-residents. Ok nevermind.
Before governments took over fire/emergency services, fire companies would be duking it out over who gets to bill the customer (as the building burned down). What next, a fuel fee from cops if they pull you over?
If you screw up on Everest your corpse gets to serve as a warning to others. Seems right to me.
Curmudgeon they are under their discretion to charge or not. Typically they charge for folks adventuring putting themselves in harms way. For instance, if an Alzheimer's patient gets disoriented and wander away into the woods, they don't charge for that sort of thing. Two kids go out of bounds from a ski area and get lost, parents will likely get the bill.
Ambulances do typically charge for transport etc.
sachilles wrote: On a similar note, Vermont at their discretion will charge folks for all expenses leading to wilderness rescue. IE if you go off the the back of a ski mountain and get yourself lost, you get to pay every penny of the expense used to rescue you.
I am fine with this as long as at my discretion I can tell them to berkeley off if they took any taxpayer money to fund their department.
shadetree30 wrote: The city of Harrisburg PA, that model of fiscal responsibility, has devised a way out of their financial mess. Each accident victim will be charged a Vehicle Extrication Fee of $500. I assume that pertains to use of the Jaws of Life, etc., rather than just opening a door and helping you out.
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker: In this neck of the woods it's all volunteer services or private.
Cough, cough entitlement mentality cough, cough
When I was living in France in the 90's, you had to pay for ski patrol assistance. You could buy insurance for it and the resort would give you a discount on your pass if you did.
But the flip side was that you were a lot more free to do whatever you wanted. At the time in Canada, you weren't allowed to do anything more than just carve turns down the designated run. In France, if you wanted to go off piste, hey, it's your problem if you get in trouble. Personal responsibility, what an idea!
I'm all for S&R charging ill-equipped meatheads. Want to climb a fourteener in your Uggs and call 911 from your cellphone when it starts to rain? Want to come out here from California to go hunting but are unprepared for snow? You should pay for the poor guys who take risks and expend a bunch of time and money to save your sorry butt. Plane crash? Let the airplane owner pay for it. The volunteers don't have to come get you, at least don't make them go out of pocket.
Not sure I'm all that excited about a $500 vehicle extraction fee though. Maybe if you're drunk.
1988RedT2 wrote: Cough, cough entitlement mentality cough, cough
I AM entitled to things I pay for. They can charge what they like as long my berkeleying money didn't go to that helo they are coming for me in.
Our local police and firefighters are paid professionals and are walking around in combat gear like a berkeleying military organization or driving a hook and ladder in a town with no 3 story buildings. That is E36 M3 they bought with MY berkeleyING MONEY. If they can't help me out of a car when I need them then I want my bullet proof vest back. I'm probably going to need it before they do.
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
Thats about what I was going to get at. What happened to tax payer money? When you get pulled over, aren't you supposed to yell at the cop, "I PAY YOUR SALARY!"...? Come on. Get with it.
I don't see a problem with tacking a fee onto ski passes etc specifically to fund rescues, that would help with the 'ill equipped meatheads'. On that: I suppose if the meathead buys the best gear he/she can afford then that's okay? 
I do have a problem with a government (which GPS so eloquently pointed out that I fund with my taxes) hitting me for a fee because they did not approve of where I happened to be or what I was doing when the crap hit the fan. Or zapping me for $500 to cut me out of a car.
It's too much like how a medical insurance company will threaten to cut off your medical benefits if you do not agree to help them sue another entity who THEY may think is responsible for your injuries, they will pretty much look at you askance if you dare to suggest that other entity was not reponsible and it's time for Mr Insurer to man up. I have been there and done that.
1988RedT2 wrote: Hypothetical situation: Your vehicle has rolled and you are upside down. What now? Ejection seat might be a bad idea.
Get out of the ejection seat before you blow it, the force flips the car back over. You act like you've never watched a bad movie before good sir.
Grizz wrote:1988RedT2 wrote: Hypothetical situation: Your vehicle has rolled and you are upside down. What now? Ejection seat might be a bad idea.Get out of the ejection seat before you blow it, the force flips the car back over. You act like you've never watched a bad movie before good sir.
You two obviously aren't aware of Mercedes' fix for this on the Gullwing. If the car is upside down for more then ten seconds, explosive bolts fire and the doors come off. So this car blows its own doors off.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/17/video-mercedes-benz-sls-amg-crash-test-video-shows-off-explodin/
shadetree30 wrote: The city of Harrisburg PA, that model of fiscal responsibility, has devised a way out of their financial mess. Each accident victim will be charged a Vehicle Extrication Fee of $500. I assume that pertains to use of the Jaws of Life, etc., rather than just opening a door and helping you out.
The local FD charged us $900 for a house call after a gas line broke in the kitchen.
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