By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/25/11
The mother of Andrew Case, the Pottsgrove High lacrosse standout that died in a car accident in November of 2009, spoke at a press conference Monday in Washington, D.C. to fight for stricter safety laws in Pennsylvania for teenage drivers.
Marlene Case said the loss of her son has left a tremendous void in her family’s life and has motivated her to prevent other families from going through similar heartache.
Case, 17, along with friend and classmate Michael Cantamaglia, 16, were killed in the crash on November 23, 2009. They were two of five passengers in a vehicle driven by a student that had his license for only a few weeks.
Marlene Case spoke with Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. She also met with four state Senators and members of Congress.
“Mostly, I’m doing this in Andrew and Michael’s memory and to prevent other kids from going through this,” said Case. “We want to prevent more accidents like these.
“I feel this is my duty.”
According to a report released by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Pennsylvania ranks as one of the worst states based on the number of safety laws. Case noted that a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program would be effective in reducing the risk of accident for new drivers.
GDL laws vary from state to state, especially in bordering states for Pennsylvania, Case said. The organization’s goal is to help convince lawmakers to create a uniform policy for all 50 states – one that may address limiting the number of passengers allowed in the vehicle and raising the driving age as well as strict laws on texting and cell phone use.
Case said that Pennsylvania is one of only seven states that do not have a GDL. She said that Delaware and New Jersey do have the GDL.
Besides speaking in the press conference, Case visited the offices of State Representative Jim Gerlach [R-PA], Senator Pat Toomey [R-PA], Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. [D- PA], and State Representative Tim Holden [D-PA].
“I don’t know what will happen, but hopefully something good will come out of the April vote,” she said. “Our goal is to try to prevent any more of this. The number of deaths is too high and if they know kids are dying, they are responsible for changing this right away.”
Previous coverage of Andrew Case
Jimmy Case is playing lacrosse in his brother’s memory
Father to remember son for kindness to others and love of lacrosse
