People who get behind the wheel of a boat after a few drinks could soon face tougher penalties.
House Bill 239, known as Lucy’s Law, is a state law that takes effect on Tuesday.
WATCH BELOW: 'They need to be safe as well in the waterways,' Daniel Knight says
The law requires a minimum of four years in prison, for anyone convicted of boating while impaired or BUI manslaughter.
The law is named after in honor of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez, from Miami. In 2022, Fernandez died after being involved in a boating crash.
The boater steering the vessel refused to take a breathalyzer test and was charged with felony vessel homicide. Her parents fought for stronger laws, and now other families are standing behind them.
“There’s so many laws for the streets and for DUI’s out here and there’s just so little on the waterways," said parent Daniel Knight, "that it definitely should, because it’s just as dangerous, if not more dangerous.”
Under the law, there are also the new law adds stiffer penalties for leaving the scene of a deadly or injury-causing boating crash.
“When you’re out on the water a lot, which we are, we see things kind of could get out of hand. If there’s no regulations, people just do what they want," said parent Ashley Herring. “When we were out there today, one of us was kind of always on the lookout regardless of those buoys or not.”
Making false claims to officers after a boating crash can now lead to a second-degree misdemeanor.
“Just like our roadways, they need to be safe as well in the waterways,” said Knight.
Families said the timing couldn’t be better, ahead of the fourth of July weekend.
