Saying the hit-and-run accident which killed Alexandria Rice last summer showed a loophole in state law, the State Senate yesterday passed "Alix's Law" which makes drunken drivers responsible if they leave the scene.
Senator Patrick Gallivan says the trial showed Dr. James Corasanti had been drinking and told the jury he didn't realize he had knocked Rice off her skateboard and killed her and left the scene.
The senator, a former state trooper, says drunken drivers are more likely to leave the scene and less likely to realize they have hit someone.
Gallivan says the legislation would deal with the mixed verdicts in the case by changing the law.
"We saw the unfortunate death of Alix Rice and the resulting trial where the individual who struck and killed her was found guilty of driving while intoxicated, but not guilty of leaving the scene, which is really beyond belief, beyond common sense."
The bill is being carried in the Assembly by Cheektowaga Democrat Dennis Gabryszak.
