BY JOHN SEEWER
The Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio — Fred Deering spent 20 years as a state lawmaker, but nothing he did at the Statehouse means more to him than legislation passed after his retirement that stiffens penalties for leaving an accident scene.
Mr. Deering's 22-year-old granddaughter died last summer when the bicycle she was riding was struck from behind by a car. The driver panicked and fled while Ms. Deering lay dying.
“You just don't let a girl lie in the pavement dying and then speed away,” said Mr. Deering, who left the legislature in 1992. “We felt strongly something should be done.”
The result is a bill that makes it a felony to leave the scene of an accident when someone is seriously injured or killed. The measure also closes a loophole for drunken drivers who had figured it was less costly to flee than to face a DUI charge.
Gov. George Voinovich is expected to sign the bill into law.
