Nov 19, 2009 6:12 am US/Eastern
'Leandra's Law' Signed By Gov. Paterson
Tougher State Law Makes Driving Drunk With A Child In The Vehicle A Felony; Named After Leandra Rosado
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 new law that will stiffen drunk driving penalties and make them among the toughest into the nation was passed by the state Senate and signed by Gov. David Paterson, Wednesday. The bill, "Leandra's Law," was named for the 11-year-old New York girl killed in a DWI crash last month.
"We are extremely pleased that Gov. Paterson, the State Senate and the Assembly have passed Leandra's Law. I want to thank them all for taking action on such an important issue," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. "Now, when anyone dares to get behind the wheel while intoxicated with a child in the car, they will have to endure the harshest of penalties to ever face New York State drivers. It is tragic that it had to take the loss of Leandra Rosado's life in order for this to come to our attention and for action to be taken."
Leandra's father, Lenny Rosado, was in Albany on Tuesday to push for the immediate passage of the bill.
"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 law 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.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who had been holding up the bill's passage, said Tuesday 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."
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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