Bill > A5629

Introduced Session

This bill makes victims of motor vehicle accidents eligible for compensation from the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) under certain circumstances and establishes the Traffic Crash Victim's Bill of Rights. Under current law, victims of certain crimes are eligible to receive compensation from the VCCO for certain expenses, including certain medical bills, counseling, loss of earnings, and funeral costs. This bill expands the crimes for which compensation is available to also include a motor vehicle crash involving a fatality or the removal of a victim from the scene of the crash by an ambulance. In addition, this bill establishes the Traffic Crash Victim's Bill of Rights. The bill provides that traffic crash victims are entitled to the following rights: 1) To obtain, upon request, a free, timely copy of the initial police report and, upon completion, any investigation report, evidence, and materials related to the crash, including but not limited to any follow-up report and documents, photographs taken at the scene of the crash or during postmortem examination, audio and video recordings from body worn cameras as defined under current law, audio and video recordings from the motor vehicle, any other audio or video recordings of the crash, and any summonses that were issued. These provisions are not to be construed as limiting or restricting any rights pursuant to the provisions of the open public records act; 2) To be notified of court proceedings and be permitted to give an impact statement in related adjudicatory proceedings, including any hearing regarding the suspension or revocation of the driver's license of the other driver; 3) To have the right to reasonable leave from the person's employer to participate in any hearings conducted by the Motor Vehicle Commission that are related to the motor vehicle crash or exercising any other rights provided by law; 4) To be free from intimidation, threats, or harassment from the other driver; 5) To be eligible to receive compensation and assistance pursuant to the provisions of the "Criminal Injuries Compensation Act of 1971"; and 6) To receive, upon request of information from a law enforcement agency regarding the crash, a copy of the provisions set forth in the bill and information provided by the Victims of Crime Compensation Office regarding the rights set forth in the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Rosaura Bagolie (D)*,  Robert Karabinchak (D)*,  Lisa Swain (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee (on 05/08/2025)

Official Document