Boy’s Brain Damage Prompts Tougher DWI Legislation

There is a new push under way to get drunken drivers off the road through improved legislation.

A North Texas lawmaker is proposing Abdallah's Law, which would allow for DWI convictions in other states to be admissible in Texas. Under current Texas law, they are not.

The law is named for 2-year-old Abdallah Khader, who was left with severe brain damage after a crash last year with 44-year-old Stewart Richardson.

"He's never going to sit, walk, eat, see -- nothing is going to change, he's not going to be able to do anything of those things," said Loubna Elharazin, the boy's mother. "I hate this man. I've never wished anything bad on anybody but I wish torture for this man."

Arlington police said Richardson plowed into the rear of the family's vehicle as they were stopped at an intersection for a red light. The family's car was forced into oncoming traffic, creating a second collision, police said.

Richardson has a history of DWI offenses in several states, Arlington police said. Due to the current law, Richardson has been charged with intoxication assault in connection with the crash that destroyed 80 percent of the child's brain.

The bill will be introduced when the legislature convenes in January.