There will be justice for Deana Eckman.
At least if the Pennsylvania Senate has its way.
No, it will not bring the vibrant Brookhaven woman whose life was snuffed out in an instant by a serial DUI driver, but it could perhaps spare another family from suffering the same agony.
The state Senate Tuesday voted, 43-6 to approve a package of bills sponsored by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, to toughen penalties for repeat offenders, and more importantly, make it much more difficult for them to once again climb behind the wheel while impaired.
The bill has been dubbed "Deana's Law" in honor of Deana Eckman.
It will increase penalties for repeat drunk driving offenders, and implement new technology aimed at alerting law enforcement of possible infractions before a person under the influence can get behind the wheel.
"Less than a year ago, Deana Eckman was violently and callously murdered by an individual now convicted of his sixth DUI," said Killion Tuesday on Senate passage of his Senate Bill 773. "We are a major step closer to honoring her memory and better protecting Pennsylvanians from the worst of the worst DUI offenders."
Deana Eckman's mother, Roseann DeRosa, spoke of the heartbreak her family has endured, and their vow to seek changes in the law as a way of honoring Deana, and preventing the same needless tragedy befall another family.
"There is no word strong enough to describe the life-long pain of outliving your child," DeRosa said. "I am grateful to the state Senate and especially Sen. Killion for their efforts to pay tribute to Deana by making sure no other family endures the tragedy that we have.
The measure now moves over to the state House, where it likely will be taken up by the House Transportation Committee.
You can get all the details here.
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