Family members of a 12-day-old baby girl are working to push lawmakers for tougher state laws for those convicted of driving under the influence of drugs following a horrific crash in 2015.
William Griggs, his girlfriend Kassidy Leonard and their 12-year-old daughter Kimberlynn were all killed instantly after Benjamin Franklin crossed the center line on Highway 13 in Erin. Franklin was later convicted of three counts of vehicular homicide and admitted to taking a mixture of prescription drugs and methamphetamine prior to the deadly crash.
Two years later Kassidy’s mother Tammy Leonard is working to get tougher penalties for those convicted of driving while under the influence. Franklin was sentenced to 36 years in jail for killing the Griggs family.
“I think there needs to be more jail time because he robbed three kids of their lives because of the choice he made,” Tammy Leonard says.
Tammy has also worked with M.A.D.D. to erect a permanent memorial sign on Highway 13 which reads “Impaired Driving Costs Lives,” accompanied by the names of William, Kassidy and Kimberlynn.
“It’s important to me because I feel like if that sign saves one person then it’s done it’s job.”
You can learn more about Tammy’s efforts here: https://www.stopdruggeddriving.net/about
