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Victim’s Family Looks to Change Law

SCRANTON — The family of a college baseball player killed in a DUI crash last year is looking to change state law. They say their son’s killer was s...

SCRANTON -- The family of a college baseball player killed in a DUI crash last year is looking to change state law. They say their son's killer was still allowed to drive, even though it was her second DUI.

Shane Rivenburgh was on his way to play baseball for Lackawanna College in April of 2016 when his motorcycle was hit by Lisa Mecca of Archbald.

Mecca was found to be high on Xanax during the crash. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced her to four to 10 years behind bars for homicide by motor vehicle.

Mecca hit a motorcycle in an intersection in Archbald. Blood tests would find that Mecca had high levels of prescription pills in her system.

"It wasn't an accident. It was a choice," said Shane's dad Scott Rivenburgh.  "She made the choice to do that every single day until she finally killed someone. Then she thought, 'Oh, I need help.'"

We met with the family members of the motorcycle rider who was killed. Shane Rivenburgh, 18, he was on his way to play in a Lackawanna College baseball game that afternoon in April.

It wasn't until August that Lisa Mecca was charged. It was her second DUI in a year's time and the Rivenburghs say she shouldn't have been allowed to drive while waiting to be charged.

"It was exactly a year and a day after she was arrested before for DUI, so it probably wouldn't have happened if she had a stricter sentence, or her license taken away the first time," said Shane's sister Ari Rivenburgh.

The family has crafted Shane's Law, a bill making its way through the state legislature that would require DUI offenders to stay off the road while they await trial.

"I mean, all of our kids, all of our parents, all of our grandchildren are exposed to these people every day and we don't know who is and who isn't, and we need to take the license away immediately if people, especially a second offense, that has harmed someone," said Shane's mom Cathy Rivenburgh.

State Senator John Blake wrote Shane's Law. It has been introduced in the state legislature.

As for the driver in this case, Lisa Mecca, she started serving her four to 10-year sentence immediately.

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