A new Tennessee law has taken effect on the first day of the year, making drunk drivers who kill a parent or guardian pay longer than any prison sentence.
The "Bentley's Law" requires offenders driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) to pay child support if they kill a parent or a guardian, Fox 17 reported.
DUI offenders can be placed behind bars for up to one year. Once they are released, they should start making payments for child support to each of the victim's children, including back pay. This will end once the children reach the adult age of 18 and graduate high school.
However, if the child turns 18 years old but still has not received the entire amount owed to them, the offender should continue paying until all debts are cleared off.
The court will be the one deciding the monetary amount for child support based on a variety of factors.
A step in the right direction
According to Tennessean, a musician Michael Campbell was hit and killed on Interstate 65 in Nashville by a wrong-way driver, who admitted she drank "way too much," in January 2015, leaving his wife, Melinda, to a life of single motherhood, raising three children.
Delois Beasley, the wrong-way drunk driver, was charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication for killing Michael and vehicular assault for severely injuring Terry Anderson, Micheal's friend, in the car. She served a year in prison.
Melinda talked to News 2 and expressed how important the new law of Tennessee is, describing it as a "step in the right direction," as most spouses, partners, or relatives are not prepared financially to support the families left behind by the victims killed by drunk drivers.
"I know in our particular case, there were no financial stipulations to the punishment, not that finances change the hurt, but the reality is families still have bills to pay, they have mortgages, they have groceries, they have medical bills, both of my kids have been in braces and those things add up quickly," Melinda expressed after losing half of the household income after her husband's death.
Money cannot 'buy away' the pain
While the law would not be able to help Melinda's family anymore, she has high hopes that it will prevent future victims' families from financial struggles and drivers from irresponsibly driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs.
However, she stressed that while the child support and financial aid may "help soften the blow," the money will not be able to "buy away" the terrible pain of losing someone who is loved deeply.
She emphasized that though this law will add accountability, the truth remains that they will never get back what and who the drunk driver took away from their family, WKRN News stated.
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