Homeslice..pagin mister Homeslice

[pauldun170]

care to bless this story with the appropriate smiley?


Teen fined $25,000 for cost of NH mountain rescue
By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press Writer Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 17, 5:27 pm ET

CONCORD, N.H. – A Massachusetts teenager who spent three nights alone on Mount Washington in April after he sprained an ankle and veered off marked trails has been fined more than $25,000 for the cost of his rescue.

Scott Mason had been praised for utilizing his Eagle Scout skills — sleeping in the crevice of a boulder and jump-starting fires with hand sanitzer gel. But authorities say he wasn't prepared for the conditions he encountered and shouldn't have set out on such an ambitious hike.

"Yes, he'd been out there in July when you could step across the brooks. And people have been out there in winter in hard-packed snow. But with these spring conditions, it was soft snow, it was deep snow," said Fish and Game Maj. Tim Acerno.

Acerno said he believes Mason's fine is the largest ever sought under a 9-year-old New Hampshire law that allows lost hikers and climbers to be charged for rescue costs. Mason's rescue was particularly expensive because the helicopters the state typically used were unavailable, and a helicopter from Maine had to be brought in, Acerno said.

Mason, 17, of Halifax, Mass., had planned to spend one day hiking 17 miles in the New Hampshire mountains but ended up lost after he hurt his ankle and decided to take a shortcut. The shortcut led him into rising water and deep snow caused by unseasonably warm weather.

Mason was negligent in continuing up the mountain with an injury and veering off the marked path, Acerno said. Negligence, he said, is based on judging what a reasonable person would do in the same situation.

"When I twist my ankle, I turn around and come down. He kept going up," Acerno said.

"It was his negligence that led to him getting into that predicament," he said. "Once he was in that predicament, yes, that's what we praise him for — he used his Boy Scout skills, and that's why he's still alive."

Several states, including neighboring Maine and Vermont, have rescue repayment laws similiar to New Hampshire, though others tend to be more lenient. In Washington state, a bill that would have created a reimbursement system with fines capped at $500 never even made it out of committee this year. In New Hampshire, however, lawmakers made it even easier to charge for rescues last year when they changed the law to allow fines for those who acted negligently instead of the harder to prove standard of recklessness.

New Hampshire officials have estimated that they could seek reimbursement in about 40 of the 140 or so rescues it typically handles each year. The money goes to the Fish and Game department's rescue fund. In most cases, hikers pay a few hundred dollars.

For the fiscal year that ended June 30, there were 131 missions that cost $175,320, Acerno said. He did not know how many of them resulted in fines.

Mason's family said they would not comment on the bill, which was mailed July 10. Mason has until August 9 to pay the bill; he could also take the state to court to contest the fine.

[Homeslice]

[Kaneman]

What a crock of shit.
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[karl_1052]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

What a crock of shit.

Bullshit.
why should anyone else have to pay for his foolishness?

I agree with that ruling and law.

[Tmall]

Originally Posted by karl_1052

Bullshit.
why should anyone else have to pay for his foolishness?

I agree with that ruling and law.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that's their job. They're getting paid to do it regardless if some dumbass is stuck on a mountain, or some fat lady has a heart attack.


I know for a fact we don't bill people when we pluck them from the jaws of death. Even if it was a dumb idea to take their 20' sail boat out into hurricane force winds.

And I assure you, 28,000 dollars doesn't cover over a couple hours of fuel when we're speeding to a distress call.

[EpyonXero]

Originally Posted by karl_1052

Bullshit.
why should anyone else have to pay for his foolishness?

I agree with that ruling and law.

Yeah, it makes sense in theory but unless this kid's parents are rich theres no way theyll be able to pay this bill. Theyll have to go to court and the state will end up paying even more money to process the case. If you want to fine people to discourage them from making bad decisions like that at least make it reasonable.

[Kaneman]

Its their fucking job, its not a business, its a taxpayer funded service. They're basing their charges on the fact that he veered off the beaten path, meaning he made a mistake and they think he should pay.

Okay, so by the same logic coming down the line will be surcharges on speeding tickets, you get to pay the fine plus cover the officer's time and gas.

House catch on fire? Well you should've had fire extinguishers in every room, here's your bill to cover the time of an entire firefighter squad, all the diesel they had to use, water, chemicals, and the medical bills of the firefighter who got burned. Can't pay? We'll see you in court.

Burgler breaks into your home while you're away, officer responds and gets shot. Now you've got extensive hospital or maybe even funeral bills on your hands. Not your fault you say? Well you should've had a protection trained pack of Dobermans.

Got raped in Central Park? Well you shouldn't have been foolish enough to walk alone at night without combat training and a stun gun. Here's your bill for a crime investigation.
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[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

A Massachusetts teenager who spent three nights alone on Mount Washington in April after he sprained an ankle and veered off marked trails has been fined more than $25,000 for the cost of his rescue.

For the fiscal year that ended June 30, there were 131 missions that cost $175,320, Acerno said. He did not know how many of them resulted in fines.

Mason's family said they would not comment on the bill, which was mailed July 10. Mason has until August 9 to pay the bill; he could also take the state to court to contest the fine.

So the average cost of a rescue is $1,338 but Mason's was $25,000 (if they're billing him dollar for dollar). I'm sure the fact he single-handedly increased the annual rescue bill by 16% has something to do with them making an example of him.

[Tmall]

What if he were playing Ei premiums and lost his job?

[ericr]

I say we let the gene pool clean itself out... let the family rescue thier idiot son if they can find him instead of taxpayers paying for it. I think they have a valid point, the idiot wouldn't have gotten lost if he'd turned around and walked back down the trail. I have little sympathy for idiots though.

Maybe they'll start charging for life flights from Deals Gap and the Cherohala Skyway for the people that wreck from going too fast