In Texas, murderous drunk drivers will now be forced to pay child support to victims left orphaned by their reckless actions, under a new law inspired by a grandmother who lost two generations of her family in a horrific crash. fireball crash.
The Bentley Act is designed to hold drunk driving convicts who commit the “particularly heinous” crime of killing the parent or guardian responsible for paying the allowance until the child turns 18 or completes high school.
The amount charged depends on the “standard of living to which the child is accustomed”, his “physical and emotional condition” and his “educational needs”, according to the legislation.
The legislation was passed in Tennessee in May last year and is now also written into Texas law after state Governor Greg Abbott signed Bill 393 into law earlier this year.
Tennessee grandmother Cecilia Williams, who created the law, lost her son Cordell, 30, stepdaughter Lacy, 25, and infant grandson Cordell II in a crash in Missouri caused by drunk driver David Thurby in April 2021.
Tennessee grandmother Cecilia Williams, who created the law, lost her son Cordell, 30, stepdaughter Lacy, 25, and grandson Cordell II, in a collision in Missouri caused by a drunk driver David Thurby (pictured) in April 2021.
Cecilia Williams (pictured) campaigned for the Bentley Act to make drunk drivers financially liable if they kill a relative in a car crash The legislation is now passed in Texas after being signed into law in Tennessee last year.
His son Cordell, 30 (left), his fiancée Lacey Newton, 25 (right) and their four-month-old son, Cordell II, were killed by a drunk driver.
She had to look after their two sons who survived the accident – Bentley, seven, and Mason, five.
Thurby, of Fenton, Montana, was said to have had a blood alcohol level double the legal limit when he slammed into the back of the Williams car, which veered off the road and hit a tree before bursting into flames.
While the law won’t personally benefit her and her grandsons, Williams said she campaigned for its introduction to “help others.”
The law’s full name is Ethan, Haile and Bentley’s Law, as it is also named after the two children of Nicholas Galinger, a Tennessee police officer killed by a drunk driver during a hit-and-run.
The rookie cop was killed at the age of 38 after being hit by drunk driver Janet Elaine Hinds, 54, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in February 2019.
Galinger, who graduated from the police academy a month earlier, had gotten out of his patrol vehicle to inspect a sewer hole in rainy conditions when Hinds’ Honda CRV hit him and fatally injured him.
In February 2022, Hinds was sentenced to 11 years in prison for hit and run.
Today, Texas followed in the footsteps of Tennessee lawmakers with Bill 393.
Cordell II (pictured) was just four months old when he was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.
Bentley, five, and Mason, three, visiting the crash site with their parents and siblings
Their parents’ car was forced off the road by a drunk driver before hitting a tree and catching fire.
The bill was introduced on November 14 last year and signed into law this year by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Any time a relative dies is tragic, but a death at the hands of a drunk driver is especially heinous,” Abbott said.
“I was proud to sign HB 393 this year to compel offenders to pay child support for their victims.”
Deaths in drunk driving crashes are extremely common in Texas, figures show.
Some 1,162 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in the Lone Star State last year, a 2% increase from the previous year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
This equates to three people dying every day of the year.
