Auto-repair shops would have to request written crash reports or fill out forms before fixing vehicles damaged in accidents or collisions, under a bill filed this week for the 2024 legislative session.
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The bill (SB 194), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, is in response to the August 2022 death of 13-year-old Lilly Glaubach in Osprey. The teen was hit by a motorist while riding her bike.
The vehicle owner fled the scene and took his car to a body shop in Tampa, where he sought repairs purportedly for a tree falling through the windshield.
The vehicle owner was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.
Under Gruters’ bill, repair shops would have to request written crash reports from customers before preparing work estimates. If reports aren’t available, the bill would require shops to fill out forms that would go to law-enforcement agencies.