Father lobbies to make drug, alcohol testing mandatory in any fatal crash

<p>A Long Island father is trying to get Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill that would make drug and alcohol testing mandatory in any fatal crash after his son was killed while crossing the street.</p>

News 12 Staff

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Dec 17, 2017, 10:26 PM

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Updated 2,330 days ago

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A Long Island father is trying to get Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill that would make drug and alcohol testing mandatory in any fatal crash after his son was killed while crossing the street.

James Walker was a 26-year-old medical student when he was struck and killed by a driver on Union Boulevard in Brightwaters in 2011.

His father, Phillip Walker, says that a bag of Adderall was found in the driver's vehicle, but she was never tested for drugs or alcohol.

Walker hopes that the governor can change current New York state law that allows for testing, but gives law enforcement the ability to decide whether it is warranted.

Cuomo has until Monday to sign the bill or Walker will have to start the whole lobbying process over again.

"It's a common sense thing, I don't know what my next step is. I don't know what I have to do. I'd have to rethink everything I've done for the past six years,” says Walker.

Walker says he knows nothing can bring his son back, but he hopes he can help protect other families from the grief he lives with every single day.

The bill has passed both the state Senate and Assembly.

Gov. Cuomo's signature is the last step before the drug and alcohol testing bill becomes law.

The law currently exists in several other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut.

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