Last month a new law went into effect that will better protect pedestrians who are legally crossing at a crosswalk. The Lisa Torry Smith Act was named in memory of a woman who was struck by a car and killed while walking her 6-year-old son to school. The law allows inattentive drivers to be charged with a Class A misdemeanor if they cause bodily harm to a pedestrian. And if the pedestrian is seriously injured, drivers may be found guilty of a state jail felony.
Brad Parker says, “As a general rule, anytime you hurt someone there should be ramifications. There needs to be more serious consequences than just financial liability.”
In Lisa’s case, the driver responsible for the crash was ticketed but not criminally charged or indicted by a grand jury because the law didn’t allow it at the time. Understandably outraged that the woman who killed a family member with her SUV only received a slap on the wrist, Lisa’s sister and family fought for stricter penalties for drivers who aren’t paying attention and cause bodily harm.
