Permits hit and run victims suffering serious bodily injury to recover under the crime victim compensation program.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would expand Rhode Island's Crime Victim Compensation Program to include people who are injured in hit-and-run incidents. Currently, this program provides financial assistance to victims of violent crimes to help cover costs like medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses resulting from their injuries. Under existing rules, hit-and-run victims may not qualify for this assistance because the program traditionally requires an identified offender or a reported criminal act in a specific way.

Under this bill, a person who suffers a serious bodily injury as a result of a hit-and-run — meaning the driver who caused the crash fled the scene without stopping — would be eligible to apply for compensation through this state program. This would help victims pay for things like hospital bills, rehabilitation, or income lost while recovering from their injuries, even if the driver who hit them was never caught or identified.

This bill primarily affects Rhode Island residents (and potentially others injured in the state) who are victims of hit-and-run crashes and who sustain significant physical injuries. It could be especially meaningful for pedestrians, cyclists, or other vulnerable road users who are struck and left behind with serious injuries and no clear way to seek compensation from the at-fault driver. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Finance Committee, where lawmakers will review its potential costs to the state program.