NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — A new law now in effect in Tennessee holds drunk drivers financially responsible for the children of those who were killed in an alcohol-involved crash. Keith Williams, Founder, Keith Williams Law Group, says this law will make people think twice before getting behind the wheel if they had too much to drink.

On May 28, 2022, Governor Bill Lee signed into law Ethan’s, Hailey’s and Bentley’s Law, which mandates that anyone convicted of vehicular homicide or aggravated vehicular homicide must provide financial support to the victims’ surviving children until the age of 18. The law is named after three children whose parents were killed by a drunk driver.

Under the law, the Courts must now require convicted defendants to make support payments to the surviving children, taking into account factors including the financial needs and resources of the children and the surviving parent or guardian; the children’s physical and emotional condition, and educational needs; the children’s physical and legal custody arrangements; and any childcare expenses. However, if the surviving parent sues the defendant and receives a judgment before criminal sentencing, then no support payments will be ordered. If the surviving parent sues and receives judgment after the defendant has already been ordered to pay support, then the support order is offset by the amount of the judgment.

“This law goes to show that spending time in jail as punishment is not enough — to be ‘enough,’ the children and the surviving parents must be compensated,” Mr. Williams says. “Now that the law has gone into effect, maybe this will disincentivize those who had too much to drink to get behind the wheel.”

Mr. Williams has dedicated his practice of 29 years to helping people and their families in accident, injury and wrongful death cases. He has tried hundreds of cases and obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients. Some of the more substantial verdicts include a $14.6 million verdict for an injured motorcycle rider and a $6.2 million verdict for a car accident victim that is believed to be the largest verdict ever in Sumner County, Tennessee.