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Family of victim Karen Benjamin pleading for tougher hit-and-run legislation

A grieving family is pushing for stricter hit-and-run penalties. Karen Benjamin was fatally struck by a car while out jogging in Mount Sinai in June. Her family held a news conference today to demand

News 12 Staff

Oct 9, 2013, 1:53 AM

Updated 4,148 days ago

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A grieving family is pushing for stricter hit-and-run penalties.

Karen Benjamin was fatally struck by a car while out jogging in Mount Sinai in June. Her family held a news conference today to demand that state lawmakers increase penalties for drivers who flee the scene of an accident.

Thomas Costa, the man charged with leaving the scene of the accident that killed Benjamin, faces just a few years behind bars. Under current New York state law, the sentence for leaving the scene of a fatal accident is between two and six years.

During this past legislative session, at least three bills made it through the state Senate that would have toughened laws on leaving the scene of an accident. They did not make it to a vote in the Assembly.