Passengers might be held accountable in accidents

ELKHART, Ind. -- A bill that would require unhurt passengers to try to get help for injured drivers in a crash is headed to the full Indiana House for approval.\nThe House Courts and Criminal Code Committee unanimously approved the legislation Wednesday after it was merged with another bill detailing standards for coroners.\n"This was a very, very good day," said Judy Hoopingarner, who pushed for the driver aid bill following the death of her son, Thomas Hoopingarner, a 17-year-old junior at Fairfield High School.\nHer son died in November 2005 after a crash that left his vehicle inverted and underwater in a pond in northern Indiana and two teenage passengers left without seeking help, according to authorities. Noble County Prosecutor Steven Clouse was forced to close the case in December 2005 because no laws on the books supported filing charges against the teens.\nState Rep. Tim Neese, R-Elkhart, authored the bill, which would make failure to aid an injured driver or seek help in such cases a Class C misdemeanor punishable with up to 60 days in jail and a maximum $500 fine.\nThe merged bill could come up for a vote in the full House next week, Neese said.