Las Vegas Father Needs Help Passing Rex’s Law To Protect Nevada Kids
A tragedy struck in Henderson, Nevada last year. And now a grieving father is trying to get a new bill, called Rex’s Law, passed to prevent it happening again. On March…
A tragedy struck in Henderson, Nevada last year. And now a grieving father is trying to get a new bill, called Rex's Law, passed to prevent it happening again.
On March 7, 2022, a 13-year old boy named Rex Patchett was walking home from a friend's house. He never made it. While walking on the sidewalk in front of his own middle school, Rex was hit by a speeding car and killed.
The driver of the sports car was going 97 miles per hour in the 35mph school zone.
Prior to the event, it was reported that the driver was recklessly speeding around the neighborhood. When he hit a bump, the driver lost control of the car and jumped on the curb where Rex was walking.
Rex was killed instantly. His backpack thrown into a nearby tree. The coroner told Rex's parents not to look at their son's body because of how badly mutilated it was. They were forced to have a closed casket funeral. They never got to say goodbye to their son. All for a 21-year old man to have a joy ride and show off to his three friends that were in the car.
But the death of young Rex Patchett was only the first injustice felt by his parents. The driver of the car only got six years in prison, most of which is probationable.
In spite of how moved the judge was in this case, she could only sentence the driver to six years. Regardless of how deeply she felt the injustice of what happened, her hands were tied. Nevada's current law only allows a penalty of one to six years for driving incidents that result in serious injury or death.
The law needs to change.
Rex's father, Jason Patchett, is on a mission to change this law in Nevada. To a penalty severe enough that a driver looking for a joy ride will think twice before choosing to go 62 miles per hour over the speed limit in a school zone.
Jason Patchett is asking for the community's help to pass this new bill. Called SB 322, it is nicknamed "Rex's Law". To learn more, and find out how you can help, visit linktr.ee/doit4rex. Or you can get information on Jason Patchett's Instagram page @doit4rex or his Facebook page.
Listen to Jason's story in this Talking Solutions interview, which aired on April 16, 2023.
