Paying the price for life: Texas's new Bentley's Law takes on drunk driving menace
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Bentley's Law of Texas requires Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenders who kill a parent or guardian to be held accountable for the benefit until the child is 18 or graduates from high school and is convicted of an "especially heinous" offense.
Under the new law in Texas that was created by Cecilia Williams, a grandmother who lost her son and grandson in a catastrophic fireball collision, killer drunk drivers will now be required to pay child support to victims orphaned by their careless conduct.
According to the law, first introduced in 2022, the amount charged is determined by the child's "standard of living," "physical and emotional condition," and "educational needs," as per Daily Mail.
The law is officially known as Ethan, Haile, and Bentley's law in honor of the two children of Nicholas Galinger, a Tennessee police officer who was also killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver.
Bentley's law is named after a drunken driving victim's surviving son
Drunk drivers in Texas convicted of intoxication manslaughter would be required to make reparations under Bentley's Law, named after the surviving son of a drunk driving victim.
Also known as House Bill 393, Bentley's Law received support from both political parties in Austin, as well.
The legislation was approved in Tennessee in May 2022 and is now included in Texas law as well, after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Bill 393 earlier this year.
Along with 774 other passed House and Senate laws, Bentley's Law comes into effect on Friday, September 1.
It mandates that convicted drunk drivers who cause fatal collisions make monthly compensation payments to the bereaved children.
The new law mandates that if a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) offender is sentenced to prison, support payments must begin one year after their release and continue until the surviving children turn 18 years old, as per FOX 26 Houston.
What did Cecilia Williams say about Bentley's law being effective?
Williams is currently taking care of her two grandsons, left behind her deceased son Cordell, 30, and daughter-in-law Lacy, 25.
Bentley, 7, and Mason, 5, were 4 and 2 years old when their parents died in the car crash.
Williams claimed that even though she and her grandkids will not personally benefit from the bill, she fought for its introduction to "help other people."
Williams stated, "After paying attention to other family stories, who are like us, who have lost family members to something that's completely preventable and they were struggling, and I decided that what needed to be done was the child restitution to help the families."
As per The National Desk, Williams further added: "It is going to help the families with school supplies who have children in school, it’s going to help maybe put a meal on the table."
"You know, it's going to help clothed the and shoes on the kids feet, and those things are important because a lot of families you know, I mean, I'm, I'm older, and I see a lot of older families who are even older than me, who are raising their grandchildren because a drunk driver killed their family and they struggle."
Williams and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) stated that this law's intention is to punish offenders responsible for their acts while also encouraging them to make efforts for a sober ride home.
"Hopefully it will put a stop to people driving under the influence. Make them think twice. It's a law that's needed everywhere. It's a commonsense law, you kill parents, and their children are left behind, you should pay the consequences and that's by helping the families raise them," Williams asserted.
Williams' son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were killed in the collision
Williams' son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were killed when a drunk driver struck them on Jefferson County's Highway 30.
When David Thurby, the drunk driver from Fenton, Montana, collided with Williams' car, it ran off the road, hit a tree, and caught fire. Thurby's blood alcohol level was reportedly double the legal limit at the time.
Thurby, who had minor injuries from the collision, was also charged with four crimes, including marijuana possession and reckless driving.