Our lives were shattered when a seemingly ordinary day turned into a nightmare. Walking down a legal unmarked crosswalk near an elementary school, my son was brutally struck by a driver under the influence of drugs. The culprit, an unlicensed and uninsured foreign resident, did not hesitate to abandon the scene after running over an innocent life, leaving my son alone on the pavement gasping for breath. The heartbreaking reality is that offenders such as these often escape the severity of the law. This disparity in justice is what we seek to correct.

We are advocating for a mandatory minimum sentencing of 20-25 years for hit & run offenses committed under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol, where the offender is an uninsured, unlicensed driver. These horrific crimes must be considered as Manslaughter, as they result in premature, unjust and brutal fatalities.

Furthermore, the driver's immigration status should not provide them a convenient escape route. If someone residing here, whether on a work visa or illegally, commits such a serious felony, they should be held fully accountable under our law, and not be deported back to their home country in lieu of serving their sentence.

Every year, an estimated 10,000 people in the United States are killed in drunk-driving crashes, representing approximately one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the country. The severity of this societal damage should not be overlooked, and the lax treatment of such individuals sends a wrong message to our society (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

My son’s life was wrongfully taken away, and I refuse to watch more families suffer in silence. We urge you to be part of this monumental change and sign this petition. Because, perhaps, the next life you save with this act may be someone close to you.