SPRINGFIELD, Va -- A woman's unpaid express lane tolls ballooned from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.
Barbara Verdi missed four express lane tolls worth $38.35. She recently learned that the charge had grown to $2,300 after she failed to pay it.
"It just isn't fair to destroy someone with such incredibly high penalties," Verdi said.
The company that operates the express lanes, Transurban, said it sends drivers three notices if they fail to pay. If that doesn't work, they turn the account to a collection agency -- which can then increase the charges.
Verdi said she recently lost her job and fell on tough times, so she missed the notices.
"I'm not saying 100 percent innocent," Verdi said, "But this is a little unfair. Very unfair."
"We are very well aware of what happened in this woman's case today and because of those circumstances, we do anticipate reducing her outstanding amount by a very large number," said Mike McGurk, a spokesman for Transurban.
Because of the circumstances of Verdi's case, Transurban officials said they're willing to negotiate a deal with her -- reducing the $2,300 bill to several hundred.
