Tennessee Drunk Drivers May Owe Child Support Under New State Law
One of the most devastating things about fatal drunk driving car accidents is that they not only take the life of those involved in the accident, but also irreversibly alter the lives of surviving family members of those killed. When the parent of a child is killed in a drunk driving accident, they leave behind a loved one who is too young to fend for themselves and often must be taken care of by another family member. Such was the case for a Missouri grandmother who is pushing for the promulgation of a law nationwide that would require drunk driving defendants to pay child support for surviving children of a parent killed in a drunk driving accident.
According to Fox 13, in January, 2023, the Tennessee state legislature ushered in its version of the law, which will require that a person convicted of the drunk driving crimes vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular homicide due to being under the influence of drugs or alcohol to pay child support for minor child survivors of a parent who was killed in the accident. In Tennessee, the law is called “Ethan, Hailey, and Bently’s Law”, after three children, two of which were the children of a police officer killed in a drunk driving accident. The Missouri grandmother pushing for such drunk driving accident laws to be implemented in every state across the country began her fight after she lost her son and her son’s fiancé, and ended up taking custody of all of their surviving children. Alex Otte, the regional director of Moms Against Drunk Driving (MADD) states of the woman’s heroic efforts, “She ended up taking custody of all of their children…She talks a lot about how grandparents, their children are already raised and they don’t expect this expense.” Otte further stated about laws that require child support to be paid by drunk drivers to surviving children when their parents have been killed in a drunk driving car accident, “We want people to understand you will be held accountable for this decision, but not only that…the decision to do so effects [sic] so many lives.”
Help for Drunk Driving Car Accident Victims in Louisiana
In Louisiana, certain surviving family members of those killed in drunk driving car accidents may be entitled to compensation under Louisiana wrongful death laws. Under Louisiana wrongful death laws, certain family members can bring a case in civil court for damages related to their injuries sustained as a result of their loved one’s death, including pain and suffering damages, funeral costs, loss of future income, and medical expenses, and more. In order to determine whether you may be owed compensation as a result of a loved one being killed in a drunk driving car accident in Louisiana, it is best to speak with an experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
The experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help fight for you. Contact Lunsford Baskin & Priebe today and speak to a lawyer about your case for free.
Source:
fox13memphis.com/news/new-state-law-requires-drunk-drivers-convicted-of-killing-a-parent-in-crash-to-pay/article_c3a9f274-5ed3-54ef-b18a-25eb78c8abf3.html
