November 10, 2021
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Gov. Charlie Baker announces Trooper Thomas Clardy Law - Spectrum News 1

WORCESTER, MA — Two years ago, a judge found the man who killed trooper Thomas Clardy guilty of driving under the influence of marijuana.

At a press conference Wednesday, his wife remembered him as a kind man with a great sense of humor.

"There will always be a feeling of emptiness without tom here," said Clardy's widow, Reisa Clardy. "An emptiness that will be never be filled."

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Charlie Baker announced the Trooper Thomas Clardy Law in an effort to address impaired driving, particularly marijuana

  • The bill is named after Thomas Clardy, who was killed in an accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike in 2016. The driver, David Njuguna, was found guilty of driving under the influence of marijuana in 2019.

  • The law would allow courts to suspend the driver’s licenses of arrested motorists who refuse to cooperate in chemical testing for drugs, and to recognize THC can or does impair drivers.

To commemorate the anniversary, Gov. Charlie Baker announced the refiling of legislation to address drivers impaired by marijuana and THC.

"This bill would recognize drug recognition experts under state law, and allow them to testify as expert witnesses in civil and criminal cases," Baker said.

The Trooper Thomas Clardy Law would allow courts to suspend the driver’s licenses of arrested motorists who refuse to cooperate in chemical testing for drugs​. It would authorize courts to recognize THC can or does impair drivers, and it would also allow officers to seek electronic search warrants for evidence of chemical intoxication.

"Often times, it is that split second when you're on a winding road or on the highway that can make all the difference in the world," Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said. "We can't have drivers driving with those motor skills and reaction times impaired."

The Commonwealth's Special Commission on Operating Under the Influence and Impaired Driving helped put the legislation together and initially submitted it in 2019.

Executive Director Shawn Collins, who also serves as the executive director of the Cannabis Control Commission, says the bill goes beyond marijuana.

"It empowers the public with expanded resources to prevent driving under the influence of any intoxicating substance," Collins said.​

A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration surveyed five trauma centers, including one in Worcester. It found more than 56% of serious or fatally injured drivers tested positive for an impairing substance.

Reisa Clardy is hoping this legislation addresses the problem.

"My family and I feel that by implementing the Trooper Thomas Clardy Law, it will provide measures that will improve roadway safety, and prevent another senseless tragedy, another family torn apart by the loss of a loved one," Clardy said.



source: https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2021/11/10/governor-baker-announces-trooper-clardy-law

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