Any person operating any vehicle or moving any object or conveyance upon any public roadway in the town in a negligent or illegal manner is liable for all damages that the public roadway may sustain as a result of the negligent or illegal operation of the vehicle or the moving of any such object or conveyance. When the operator is not the owner of the vehicle, object, or conveyance but is operating or moving it with the express or implied permission of the owner, the owner and the operator are jointly and severally liable for any such damage. Such damage to any public roadway or structure may be recovered in a civil action instituted in the name of the town. Any measure of damage to any public roadway determined by the town by reason of this section is prima facie evidence of the amount of damage caused and is presumed to be the amount recoverable in any civil action therefor.
(Ord. 584 § 4, 2008)