 In just a blink of an eye, a driver lost control of his vehicle, crashing head on into another car, causing critical injuries for a young mother and her daughter. As Mal Meyer investigates, the driver of the car found responsible for that 2015 crash should never have been on the road after his license was suspended. Now the family of the injured want justice. Our story goes back to January 15, 2015. It started as a regular day. Wake up, get dressed, have breakfast. Grandbaby and my daughter bounced out of the door. It was a sea later. We'll meet for dinner. Suvannik left the house to start her routine. The first thing I heard on the radio was to avoid county road three between Merrifield and Brainerd because there's been a horrible car accident. According to court documents, her daughter Macy Guiava was traveling southbound on county road three when a driver in the northbound lane lost control of his vehicle. Then 35-year-old Vaughn Gentry hit her head on. Vaughn enforcement determined Gentry's car was going 59 miles per hour, too fast for the snowy road conditions. My daughter was airlifted from the scene in critical condition with serious head injuries and wounds and they did not think she was going to survive. Her granddaughter Sophie would spend 99 days in the ICU, undergoing over 20 surgeries for internal injuries. We met with law enforcement at the hospital where they informed me that the driver of the car that hit them was likely speeding, lost control on the road and was unlicensed. Gentry has a long history of speeding, reckless driving and driving after his license was suspended. Just a day prior to the crash, a warrant was out for his arrest since his privileges were revoked back in November. We were dealing with somebody that just blatantly disregards law. They found that it was the law that was a problem. In Minnesota, driving with a suspended license, no matter how many times are caught, is a simple misdemeanor. I think the county attorney's office wanted to make sure that something stuck, and so they went with those charges. While Gentry spent just a few weeks in jail, Macy Kiyava was left in a persistent vegetative state, so they contacted their local representative. When you really stop and think about it, these accidents wouldn't be happening if folks were obeying the law. Through House File 192 and Senate File 1097, they're looking to create increased penalties for repeat offenders. If that had happened after Macy's bill had been passed, of course, it would have been a gross misdemeanor, and he would have done some jail time. But they need the constituents' help to get the bill through the Senate. We've definitely run into some challenges as we've tried to convince the folks in the Senate that this is important, and I don't think it's necessarily because they disagree, but to what level of importance and what do we actually need to do to change behavior and to bring justice? In Niswa, I'm Al Meyer, Lakeland News. Representative Heinzman says he hopes that the law can be passed during next year's legislative session. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.