House Bill #191 - Monica's Law
Monica Durban, a 21-year-old Ohio State University junior suffered massive leg and head injuries when she was struck head on by 30- year old George Statton, Jr. Statton was killed in the accident and Monica was critically injured. Her road to recovery is on-going. House Bill #191 will increase the penalties for street racing and create the offense of "street racing manslaughter." bill would increase penalties for street racing and impose not only an automatic license suspension, but impounding of the vehicle. He said the bill also will address the difficulty in making racing-related charges stick.
We the undersigned, are committed to making illegal street racing penalties as measurably severe as the injury they can cause to innocent victims on Ohio roadways.
Currently the penalties for illegal street racing are minimal which only add to the allure of illegal street racing. If the driver who caused the accident dies, the victim has no restitution options. All others participating in the race are currently protected by the law. We must put penalties in place to make illegal street racing in Ohio lawfully unattractive from the beginning.
Imagine being a Junior at Ohio State University and all you can think about is that next big exam or the next home cooked meal. As an unknowing victim of an illegal street race, your thoughts can quickly turn from the next big exam to the oxygen tube forced into your lungs to help you cling to life. This is what happened to Monica Durban, a junior at OSU in 2008.
It's all a preventable tragedy. Don't let your son or daughter, mother or father be the next victim of illegal street racers. It affects lives in ways you can only imagine. By supporting Bill #191 - nicknamed "Monica's Law" after Monica Durban - you will help make illegal street racing penalties so tough, the risk will outweigh the reward and together we will prevent further loss of life on Ohio roadways.
Dispatch Article:
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/29/streetrace.ART_ART_05-29-09_B3_13E0SLG.html?adsec=politics&sid=101 Local CBS Broadcast:
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/05/28/story_bill.html?sid=102 Thank you for your time and consideration of this very important initiative.
