Metro Atlanta family wants strict penalties for street racers after loved one's death
Grieving Georgia family urges against street racing after daughter's death
The police chief and local officials continue to warn other of the dangers in street racing. For one metro-area family living with the memory of a fast driver colliding into and killing their loved one, they cannot understand why the activity has not stopped completely.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A metro Atlanta family is urging more be done about the dangerous street racing trend after a family member's death.
While law enforcement and metro Atlanta courts have worked to try and catch and charge street racers, multiple events in the last few weeks have shown many of the dangerous drivers haven't gotten the message.
For the Sanford family, the actions of a group of street racers came at a terrible cost.
"It does indeed bring back very painful memories," said Bobbie Sanford.
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Before there was a lot of attention to the problem, a racer crashed into Sanford's daughter-in-law Jaye's vehicle when the woman was driving back to her home with her teenage daughter after a Jack and Jill meeting.
"They lost control of their vehicle and crashed into Jaye's car," Sanford said, describing the victim as a "very loving wife" and "warm and outgoing."
Bobbie Sanford contacted a state lawmaker and asked him to push for stronger penalties.
The racer who struck Jaye is behind bars.
SKYFOX 5 flew over one racing spot last week in DeKalb County where burnout treads could still be seen. It coincidentally was located close to where Sanford has an office.
It's a terrible reminder of the past tragedy she told FOX 5's Morse Diggs.
"Just last Sunday there were street racers … some people could not leave because their cars were in the ring," she said.
Right now most of the suspected street racers are able to get their vehicles back once their case gets heard by a judge. Prosecutors say what will really move the needle is outright confiscation, but that would take the state to make that legal change.