Section 20 Liability of authority; penalties for refusing to pay toll or hitchhiking; sale of unclaimed property; annual report to governor and general court; audit
Section 20. The authority shall, consistent with the provisions and limitations of section twelve and section twenty-six, be liable to any person sustaining bodily injury or damage to his property by reason of a defect or want of repair therein or thereupon to the same extent as provided in section eighteen of chapter eighty-one and shall be liable for the death of any person caused by such defect or want of repair to the same extent as is provided in chapter two hundred and twenty-nine. Any notice of such injury, damage or death required by law shall be given to the general counsel of the authority.
The turnpike and the metropolitan highway system, although not part of the state highway system, shall each be deemed a way within the meaning and purport of chapters eighty-nine and ninety and its use shall be governed by sections two, four, four A, four B and five of said chapter eighty-nine and sections one B, three, three A, three B, three C, five A, six, seven, seven B, seven D, seven D and one-half, seven P, seven Q, seven AA, eight B, eight C, nine, nine D, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, thirteen A, fourteen, fourteen A, fourteen B, sixteen, the first sentence of section seventeen, section twenty, the first sentence of section twenty-one and sections twenty-two A, twenty-two B, twenty-two E, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-four G, twenty-four I, twenty-four L, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-nine and thirty-four J of chapter ninety and such other laws as the authority may determine by regulation necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the turnpike or the metropolitan highway system.
An operator of a vehicle using the turnpike or the metropolitan highway system who refuses to pay the toll prescribed by the authority or who evades or attempts to evade payment of the toll prescribed by the authority may be arrested without a warrant. Whoever, for the purpose of soliciting a ride on the turnpike or the metropolitan highway system, displays a sign, signals a moving vehicle, causes the stopping of a vehicle or stands on property of the authority in view of a ramp or roadway of the turnpike may be arrested without a warrant and shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars. A person damaged in his property by the exercise of any of the powers granted by this chapter may recover his damages from the authority under chapter seventy-nine.
Notwithstanding the provisions of chapters one hundred and thirty-four and one hundred and forty-seven, if money, goods or other property which has been abandoned, mislaid or lost on the premises of the authority comes into the possession of said authority and remains unclaimed for a period of one hundred and twenty days, the authority may sell the same, excepting money so unclaimed, at public auction after notice of such sale has been published for three successive weeks in a newspaper published in the city or town wherein such sale shall occur. The net proceeds of such sale, after deducting the cost of storage and the expenses of the sale, and all money so unclaimed, shall be paid into and become the property of the authority and may be applied by the authority to any of its corporate purposes. If such property is in the possession of the authority and remains unclaimed for a period of one hundred and twenty days and is of the value of three dollars or less, the authority may donate the same to a charitable organization.
On or before April first of each year, the authority shall make an annual report of its activities for the preceding calendar year to the governor and to the general court. Each such report shall set forth a complete operating and financial statement covering its operations during the year. The authority shall cause an audit of its books and accounts to be made at least once in each year by certified public accountants and the cost thereof may be treated as a part of the cost of operation of the turnpike and the metropolitan highway system. Such audits shall be deemed to be public records within the meaning of chapter sixty-six.