Deana's Law: Pennsylvania legislation targeting repeat DUI offenders signed into law

HARRISBURG, Pa. - It has been more than three years since Deana DeRosa Eckman was killed in a head-on collision in Delaware County and now a new law in her honor is targeting repeat DUI offenders like the one who was behind the wheel of the truck that hit her. 

The legislation, dubbed Deana's Law after DeRosa Eckman, has been signed into law Friday. 

According to Delaware Representative Chris Quinn, who authored the bill, it will better protect drivers in Pennsylvania. 

"Today marks the end of an effort that began more than three years ago, shortly after the tragic and senseless death of Deana DeRosa Eckman," Quinn said. "Her memory is now permanently enshrined in state law, and Pennsylvanians will be better protected from the worst-of-the-worst repeat DUI offenders because of Deana's Law." 

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The law requires consecutive sentences for people convicted of third and subsequent DUIs and increases prison sentences for the offenders, according to legislators. 

The bill passed in the House in November 2021 and was approved by the Senate on July 7 before reaching the governor's desk. 

"Deana was just 45 years old, vibrant and beloved by a wide circle of friends and family," said Quinn. "Her murderer, with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit turned a three-ton pickup truck into a deadly weapon. He robbed Deana of decades of life and her friends and family of her presence.

The law will officially take effect in 120 days.