Drunk driving accidents took the lives of more than 1,900 people in Texas in 2021.

Some of those who died were parents who were taken from their children too soon. It's a reality Analicia Zarate has lived for nearly 23 years.

“The drunk driver was headed north, and we were headed west, and he hit our vehicle in the front quarter where my mother was driving,” Zarate recalled. “She died at the scene."

Texas just passed a new law that would force drivers convicted of intoxication manslaughter to pay child support if they kill at least one parent or guardian in a crash.

Payments that would continue until the child turns 18

[It’s necessary as another source of restitution,” Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Services Specialist Ana Verley said. “Of course you can't make somebody whole if a parent or their parents are gone, but this is another way to help support the victims, grandparents or whoever's raising that child.”

The state law is Texas' version of Bentley's Law, named after a Missouri boy whose parents and brother died in a drunk driving crash in 2021.

Texas is the third state to pass the law. Members of MADD advocated for the law to be passed in this legislative session. It goes into effect in September. 

MADD said they hope the added punishment will work twofold.

“This is going to be something that's not only going to help the victims, but it's going to cost the person who causes a crash and takes the life of a parent, so maybe it'll help deter,” Verley said.

Zarate says this law would have made a huge difference when she was growing up. While the new law will not benefit her, she's content knowing it will help others.

The details of the payment would be decided by the court depending on the financial needs of the child and the circumstances.

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