Man winds up with $200,000 EZPass fine

Many times, bills of a high magnitude are a mistake made by the company or organization that has sent it. This is not one of those times. As WRC NBC 4 reports, Jason Bourcier of Virginia, through his own doing, racked up a massive E-ZPass bill costing over $200,000.

For three-and-a-half years, Bourcier drove on the Dulles Toll Road daily. The main concept of a toll road is that to drive on said road, you pay a toll. Hence, toll road. USA Today reports, though, that Mr. Bourcier thought maybe that was a loose or flexible kind of thing, “I would go through late at night, and there weren't any attendants. One day, I asked an attendant if the cameras were on when there were no attendants on duty. He said they weren't. So I started going through without paying the tolls."

That’s not the only mistake Bourcier made, though. He had a bill worth $440 that he let balloon to more than $200,000, which included late fees and interest. $200,000! Why so high? USA Today has the math:

“According to Virginia law, in instances where toll violations proceed to court, the registered owner or operator of a vehicle is liable for a $50 penalty on a first offense, $100 for a second offense within one year, $250 for a third offense within two years of the second offense, and $500 for a fourth and any subsequent offenses within three years of the second offense..."

Jason Bourcier didn’t have four offenses. He had 335 of ‘em.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) understandably decided that they would, you know, like to have $200,000. Especially if it was owed to them. Bourcier told WRC, “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. Another kicker is they put me on a payment plan for $150 a month.”

It’s ok, though. Bourcier, at the age of 33 now, will only have to pay $150 a month until he is 87 years old to finally pay all the money he owes. We went out and borrowed a calculator from one of the neighborhood kids, and after doing some math, we learned that that means Jason can look forward to another 54 years of paying $150 a month.

We took a spin on Virginia’s EZPass website, and it appears that for $35 you can get yourself one of the transponders. That money you’ve already spent goes toward tolls. Upon registering the EZPass, you can set up an account and…you know what? You already know this. You’re too clever to let yourself wind up with a toll bill worth six figures.

As for Jason Bourcier, he says he’s learned a lesson for himself after this nightmare, “don’t mess with E-ZPass."

More info: WRC,USA Today, EZPass