MADISON, Wis. — There was emotional testimony at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday as a woman who lost her husband to reckless driving in Milwaukee advocates for change.
Ben Jordan talked to the wife of Pastor Aaron Strong as she voiced her support for a pair of bills that would increase reckless driving penalties.
"My name is Abbie Strong and I'm representing the family of Aaron Strong, a victim of reckless driving," she said.
Abbie Strong broke down in front of lawmakers as she held up a picture of her family - the last photo taken before her husband Aaron was killed in October by a reckless driver.
"So reckless that the driver was driving over 70 miles per hour on the wrong side of the road through four red lights before colliding with his Nissan sedan," said Abbie Strong.
Abbie's husband Aaron was a well-known pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. The congregation left devastated by the loss - and his two children heartbroken at home.
"How has that changed your future and your children's future - living without a dad?" asked TMJ4 News reporter Ben Jordan.
Abbie replied, "my son is not going to get to go on that camping, backpacking adventure this summer. My daughter's not going to have her dad walk her down the aisle. So I need to do my part to prevent other families from having to face that loss."
Abbie is now turning her pain into purpose. Monday night she learned about a pair of bills that would stiffen penalties for reckless drivers, so she made the drive to Madison Tuesday morning to show her support for both of them.
"I have to be the face and I have to be the person that's representing my husband and all the other families. We are not the first family to walk down this road and if it's not me, who is it going to be?" said Abbie Strong.
The first bipartisan bill would double the maximum fine for reckless driving citations. It would also double the maximum jail sentence for those convicted of certain felony-reckless driving offenses.
The second bill would allow cities to pass ordinances to authorize police to tow vehicles, if a person is caught driving recklessly and has a prior reckless driving fine that hasn't been paid.
"I like that they are being proactive. They are trying to take the heartache away from families," said Strong.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson also spoke in favor of the two bills.
"What would your response be to those in the Milwaukee area who say this may be too punitive?" asked TMJ4's Ben Jordan.
"Well look, I don't want to be overly punitive on folks, but I do understand that this is a concern, a public safety and quality of life concern for people on the streets of Milwaukee," said Johnson. "So if you're going to drive recklessly in Milwaukee, this is the message: Don't do it or you're going to be paying a price."
Some lawmakers shared concerns about whether most drivers would pay the steeper fines - or if judges would utilize the lengthened maximum sentences for criminal convictions.
Abbie doesn't think the two bills would eliminate reckless driving - but she believes they would have an impact.
"I wish that no family had to go through the same loss that we are walking right now," she said.
The committee that held Tuesday's public hearing will take a vote in the near future on whether to pass these two bills. If passed, the next step would be a hearing in front of all state lawmakers.
