TRENTON - At her funeral in 2011, Toni Donato-Bolis, 28 years old and gone too soon, was placed in a casket with her son, both a symbol of the terrible price of another's distracted driving. But up until Wednesday, a person involved in a fatal accident who was found to be texting while driving would under most cases face nothing but a traffic ticket. A law signed by acting Gov. Kim Guadagno Wednesday changed that. If a driver now is proven to have been texting before an accident that seriously injures or kills someone, prosecutors will have the ability to charge that person with assault by auto or vehicular homicide. The bill, which makes it easier to prosecute texters, was hailed by victims' families, legislators and auto safety groups as an important step in changing the behavior of drivers who use cellphones while behind the wheel. "I hope that (the law) makes people understand that no text message and no phone call is worth changing anyone's life, not even for a second," said Angela Donato, a Washington Township, Gloucester County, resident and Donato-Bolis' sister.
Courier Post