Family of fallen Massachusetts State Police trooper pushes for passage of law in his name - WCVB Boston
BOSTON —
The family of a fallen Massachusetts State Police trooper is expressing disappointment that a bill in his name has been put on the back burner.
The "Trooper Thomas Clardy Law" is named for the 44-year-old state trooper who died on March 16, 2016, when his cruiser was struck by an impaired driver on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton.
Prosecutors said the driver who struck Clardy's cruiser, David Njuguna, was speeding and high on marijuana at the time of the crash. Njuguna was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the case.
The bill in Clardy's name would boost laws against drug-impaired driving, but the Massachusetts Judiciary Committee put the bill into a study order — which effectively means it will not pass this legislative session.
"The administration cannot understand why the committee failed to act on the Trooper Clardy bill, given that the bill is the product of a legislative study and subsequent legislative report," Sarah Finlaw, communications director for Gov. Charlie Baker's administration, said in a statement. "A family lost a father and the driver responsible for the crash that took his life was found not guilty of the most serious charges, including operating under the influence, because the laws meant to protect Massachusetts from drivers too stoned to drive are outdated, and the administration believes that the committee's actions will only put more lives at risk.”
“Our family has been profoundly impacted by the tragic loss of my loving husband. Our children lost their hero, a man who had love for his family and an unquenchable love for life," Reisa Clardy, Thomas Clardy's widow, said in a statement. "It has been almost six years since the incident that took his life, and it is long past time to enact these commonsense reforms that are the product of thoughtful evaluation. We urge action on this bill, in the hope of sparing other families from our sorrow and preventing the heartbreak caused by a driver’s decision to get behind the wheel when under the influence of drugs.”
source: https://www.wcvb.com/article/push-for-trooper-thomas-clardy-law-february-8-2022/39018130
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