Raelynn Huber was just two years old in 2022 when a car crash ended her life. A driver ran a stop sign in Niagara County, colliding with a car driven by her mother.
Bernadette Smith is Raelynn’s grandmother. I spoke to her on what would have been Raelynn’s 5th birthday.
Bernadette Smith “And my daughter called me basically from the scene of the accident, and that’s a phone call I hope that no one else ever has to get,” Smith. said. “And the most tragic part about it, I believe, is that it was completely avoidable.”
WKBW “Loving hugs, would sing, dance, smile, you know, just seriously, one of the sweetest little girls you would ever meet,” Smith said.
Since her death, Smith has been advocating for the Grieving Families Act. The legislation aims to update the state’s nearly 180-year-old wrongful death statute, allowing families to sue for emotional damages.
“So there’s no consideration whatsoever in New York State for grief, for anguish, for trauma,” Smith said.
Bernadette Smith