Nov 18, 2009 6:05 am US/Eastern
'Leandra's Law' To Pass This Legislative Session
Tougher State Law Makes Driving Drunk With A Child In The Vehicle A Felony; Named After Leandra Rosado
Reporting
Lou Young
ALBANY (CBS) ―
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Leandra Rosado, 11, was killed after her friend's mother, 31-year-old Carmen Huertas, flipped the car they were in while apparently drunk.
CBS
A father devastated when a DWI crash killed his daughter finally had some good news. The state Legislature is introducing a law in the little girl's name, a law that would introduce drunk driving penalties among the toughest in the nation.
The memorial to 11-year-old Leandra Rosado outside her family's TriBeCa apartment is just five weeks old, so fresh that the newspaper clippings haven't had time to fade. Her father, Lenny Rosado, was in Albany on Tuesday making sure she's remembered long after they do.
"I guarantee you that my daughter's death will not be in vain," he said. "She is here now to protect all our children, and anyone else who is a victim of DWI."
Leandra died Oct. 11 along the West Side Highway when an allegedly drunk adult rolled a van full of children killing her and injuring her six friends. The bill that passed the Assembly in her name Tuesday now makes it an automatic felony on the first offense to drive drunk with a person under the age of 15, setting the blood-alcohol level at .08.
It also requires a mandatory interlock for all people convicted of any kind of DWI in the state. The devices disable a car's ignition if alcohol is detected in the driver's breath and the law makes it an additional crime to circumvent the device or tamper with it in any way.
"The time is now to bounce this bill and get it passed today, before the holidays come, because I don't want to hear about any more tragedies," Lenny Rosado said.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who had been holding up the bill's passage, said that's the part of the law he's most enthusiastic about.
"It raises the penalties, it acts as a deterrent, but the most practical deterrent is the interlock device," he said. "We came to agreement that in memory of Leandra, we would advance DWI legislation that is tougher and more comprehensive than any that currently exists."
Diana Reyes had her run-in with Silver several years ago trying to toughen DWI penalties after her son was injured by a drunk driver. Her advice for Lenny Rosado is to keep a close eye on the politicians who like to stick to their own agendas.
"There's a lot of gridlock in Albany, there's a lot of things that can get lost. Stay on top of Sheldon Silver. We had some problems four years ago when we were trying to change the laws with him, so make sure to stay on top of him until the law is signed," she said.
CBS 2 learned late Tuesday that the Senate, the Assembly, and Gov. David Paterson are all in agreement to make the bill bearing Leandra's name law this legislative session.
The woman accused of drunk driving in the crash that killed Leandra has been indicted for manslaughter as well. She could face 15 years in prison if convicted.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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