House lawmakers target repeat offenders driving with revoked license

Sue Vanek has been fighting for her daughter and granddaughter since Jan. 15, 2015.

That’s the day her loved ones were in a car that was hit head-on near Brainerd by an unlicensed driver who law enforcement said was driving too fast for the snowy conditions and lost control of his car.

Vanek also learned from law enforcement that the driver had a long history of speeding, reckless driving and driving after his license was suspended. His license had been suspended nine times at the time of the crash; he has had 14 suspensions since.

Her daughter was left in a permanent vegetative state by the collision, and her granddaughter needed more than 30 surgeries to recover from her injuries.

“Our family was physically, mentally and financially destroyed by this accident,” she said. “Essentially, we were served a life sentence with no chance to return to our lives pre-accident. Our offender got a misdemeanor.”

Vanek told her story to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee Tuesday, which approved HF341 that would, under certain conditions, lead to higher penalties for driving with a license that was suspended, revoked, or cancelled, or the person was disqualified from holding a license.

The bill’s next stop is the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), the bill sponsor, said it’s “inexplicable” that even after so many instances of driving after a license suspension, an offender still only faces a misdemeanor.

His bill would make it a gross misdemeanor if an unlicensed driver either causes a collision resulting in “substantial bodily harm” or death or commits a third offense within 10 years.

“This is obviously a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and a penalty enhancement is important,” he said.