Atlanta Journal Constitution (GA): OPINION: Mom of student killed by truck warns lawmakers on heavier loads

Completely stopped in traffic on the state road, their two cars were smashed by a tractor-trailer driving 70 mph. The driver later testified in court that he didn’t know why he didn’t try to slow down. In the end, five students died, including Emily Clark. A sixth student was left with a traumatic brain injury and the driver was sent to jail after pleading guilty to five counts of vehicular homicide.

Emily’s mother, Kathy, is not one of the lobbyists at the Capitol arguing about the bill, but she wants lawmakers to think about families like hers as they decide whether to increase truck weights on Georgia roads. The truck that crushed her daughter’s car was packed with deliveries and on its way to a local dollar store.

“Safety is our number one concern and you can listen to facts and figures all day long, but common sense tells you that something heavier is harder to control on the roads and just can’t be safe,” she said. “It just can’t be that a little bit of extra money is worth the safety of anyone’s family member.”

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