CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A woman contacted 10 On Your Side after she got a toll bill for more than $1,300.

She said she didn’t owe that much and discovered most of what she owed was fees, and more fees on top of fees.  

Regina Lucas says the mounting toll issue was an E-ZPass that did not automatically replenish, and while running her son back and forth to the hospital she just didn’t pay attention to that important detail.

“He was born with a cyst on his brain and he also has epilepsy,” says Regina Lucas while walking in front of pictures of her son in her Chesapeake home. 

Since birth that’s been the life for 9-year-old Ramon Lucas. 

“He’s a happy child. He’s a mama’s boy. He is so sweet. This is the most recent picture. He loves school passes, all his grades, he is the best helper in school,” a proud mother says pointing to the pictures. 

Over the years, Regina Lucas has run up a toll bill of $1,371.

10 On Your Side called ERC and they agreed to help. 

On the phone was ERC’s Tiffany Whitfield, “From $1,371 we have reduced it all the way down to $245.90. 

That $245.90 represents the actual toll part of the bill.  The fees are nearly six times the cost of tolls, and CHKD found a resource to help pay all but $25 of that $245.90. 

Regina is grateful to CHKD.

“CHKD is the best hospital … thank you so much…I really appreciate what they have done on behalf of my son and me.  How wonderful they are and what great people they are to take care of this.”

10 On Your Side then went to ERC and found Rich Gabris, ERC’s director of customer care.

“We are committed to helping the customer, and in this case we were able to look at the account and bring it down to a fair amount, which is basically the toll,” Gabris said. 

What this means is Regina can renew her license plates that expire this month. 

Right now they have a DMV hold on them.

“10 On Your Side has got the action, and action has been done on this bill and is now down to $25.”

ERC says one of the reasons they worked with Regina Lucas is because she had an E-ZPass, and even though it was un-funded, ERC wanted to do the right thing and reduce the amount to the actual tolls. 

One detail still to be worked out: Lucas also used the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge.

She is in the process of working that out with bridge customer service.