Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Nelson Albano to ensure the timely notification to family members that a relative has been seriously injured in an accident was released Thursday by an Assembly committee.
The bill (A-1812) would require the responding law enforcement officer or other officer investigating a motor vehicle accident to notify the next of kin of the whereabouts of an accident victim who has been transported to the emergency room of a medical facility when that victim is unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate this information.
The officer is required to make this notification as soon as possible. Notifying the next of kin of a person who has been admitted to an emergency room as a result of a motor vehicle accident is usually done by hospital staff.
Albano’s son Michael was killed in 2001 by a repeat drunk driver.
