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Washington man receives $18,000 bridge toll bill

The bill accounted for $1,360 in unpaid tolls and over $16,000 in penalties.

By Fred Lambert
The 520 bridge linking Seattle to Bellevue in Washington state. A man recently received a bill of $18,000 for his son's unpaid tolls on the bridge. Photo by chispita_666/CC/Flickr
The 520 bridge linking Seattle to Bellevue in Washington state. A man recently received a bill of $18,000 for his son's unpaid tolls on the bridge. Photo by chispita_666/CC/Flickr

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POULSBO, Wash., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A Washington man said he was floored when he received a bill of more than $18,000 for his son's unpaid tolls.

Tom Rose said his son neglected to get a "Good to Go" pass and had crossed the 520 bridge linking Seattle and Bellevue every day for work at his first job, saying he "thought he'd be billed later for it." Rose told King 5 News that his son had been living "hand to mouth" and "thought he was picking the lesser of two evils. He could save up and pay for them later."

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No bill was received until Rose attempted to sell the car. He discovered $1,360 in unpaid tolls and over $16,000 in penalties.

After contacting the Washington State Department of Transportation, Rose was told to take the issue before an administrative judge, though it likely would not do any good. A WSDOT spokesperson told King 5 News that bills had been sent to Rose but had been returned unopened, and that they were willing to seek a resolution.

Earlier in the week a group of attorneys filed a class action lawsuit against the WSDOT, claiming the billing process for Good to Go violates due process by failing to notify drivers of bills and penalties.

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