Green Lake, WI – The family of 12-year-old Emmet Zodrow, who was fatally struck by a vehicle in green Lake on June 25, is advocating for changes to Wisconsin‘s elderly driver licensing laws following the incident. According to reports from WBAY, Emmet was riding his bike to the local library when an 85-year-old woman, Jean Woolly, accidentally accelerated rather of braking, driving onto the sidewalk and fatally injuring him.
Emmet was with two friends at the time of the crash,which occurred around 10 a.m. on an otherwise empty street, his father, John Zodrow, told WBAY.
The family expressed devastation upon learning that Woolly would not face criminal charges, as she was neither under the influence nor distracted during the incident. “He’s 12. He’ll be okay, he was by the library in town, how bad could it be?” Emmet’s mother, Angela Zodrow, recalled thinking.”He did nothing wrong. he wasn’t at the corner, he wasn’t in the road.he wasn’t in the crosswalk; he was where he is supposed to be.”
In response, the Zodrow family has begun contacting lawmakers to propose reforms to the state’s driver renewal process. They are seeking an automatic, temporary license suspension following an accident, requiring a competency test for reinstatement. They also advocate for broader elderly driver review and renewal reform in Wisconsin.
Currently, Wisconsin requires all drivers to renew their licenses every eight years, nonetheless of age. The family points to illinois as a potential model, where drivers over 75 must pass a road test to renew their licenses every two years, increasing to annual testing at age 87.
“You can kill a person,and nothing changes in your life. Our whole lives changed, but she didn’t even lose her license,” Angela Zodrow stated to WBAY. ”What do we need to do to stop her from? And I’m not saying she needed to lose her license, maybe she’s fine to drive, but if you can’t answer that she’s fine to drive, why is she driving?”
The family hopes their efforts will lead to preventative measures and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
