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

This bill, known as the James Ward Act, increases penalties for drivers who leave the scene of an accident involving recreational vehicles or snowmobiles. Under current law, leaving the scene after causing bodily injury without stopping to provide identification is punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine of $500 to $1,000. The legislation would raise the maximum jail sentence to two and a half years and increase the maximum fine to $5,000 if the accident results in a death. These changes apply specifically to operators of recreational vehicles and snowmobiles who fail to stop and exchange information after a collision that causes injury or death.