I am writing as a mother of a young man whose life was permanently changed by an underage drunk driver. 

Our son, Evan, suffered a catastrophic traumatic brain injury after a DWI crash. Before this happened, he was an active young man who served in the Air National Guard as a Senior Airman and a college student at SUNY Canton studying psychology. Evan had his whole life ahead of him. Today, Evan  lives with the reality of permanent disability, extensive rehabilitation, memory loss, vision loss, aphasia, paralysis and reconstructive surgeries.  

Every day,  we (myself, his step-mom, his dad , his “step-dad”, his brothers, sister and grandparents)  help Evan fight for basic things many people take for granted - speaking clearly, full assistance with walking, eating, remembering and simply participating in life again. While we are incredibly proud of Evan’s progress and determination, no family should have to endure this kind of preventable tragedy.

We are asking for support in creating and advancing “Evan’s Law” in New York State. The goal of this legislation is to strengthen penalties and accountability for drunk drivers who cause catastrophic, life altering injuries.

Too often the law focuses primarily on fatalities, while survivors with permanent disabilities and brain injuries face a lifetime of suffering, medical care, emotional trauma and financial hardships Families, like ours, continue living the consequences long after court cases end.

Our hope is that Evan’s story can help create meaningful change, increase accountability and prevent another family from experiencing this heartbreak.

EVAN’S LAW

Purposed New York State DWI Reform Legislation

Purpose:

To strengthen penalties , accountability, and victim protections for drunk drivers who cause catastrophic, life-altering injuries.

Why This Matters:

Families of traumatic brain injury survivors live with life altering consequences after drunk driving crashes. Current laws often focus on fatalities, while survivors with permanent disabilities face years- or a lifetime- of rehabilitation, medical care, emotional trauma and financial hardship.

Key Points to proposed Evan’s Law:

-Create stronger felony penalties for intoxicated drivers who cause catastrophic injury including traumatic brain injury, permanent disability or severe neurological damage.
-Establish ‘catastrophic injury by intoxicated driving’ as a clearly defined offense under New York law.
-Increase sentencing guidelines for repeat DWI offenders who seriously injure another person.
-Require longer license revocation for drivers convicted of causing catastrophic injury while intoxicated.
-Expand victim and family support resources for survivors of severe DWI-related injuries, including rehabilitation and long term care assistance.
-Require mandatory education programs on traumatic brain injury and catastrophic injury consequences for convicted offenders.
-Encourage statewide awareness and prevention efforts focused on the lifelong impact of drunk driving injuries.

The Reality Behind Evan’s Law:

Evan’s Law is inspired by the real-life experience of a young man whose life changed forever after a drunk driving crash caused a devastating traumatic brain injury and permanent disability.

This legislation seeks to protect New York families, increase accountability and recognize that survivors of catastrophic injury deserve justice too.

“Survival is not the end of the story. For many families, it is the beginning of a life long battle.”