Repeat DUI Law Lands Delco Lawmaker Accolades

HARRISBURG, PA — Mothers Against Drunk Driving named Delaware County lawmaker Chris Quinn as “legislator of the year” for writing a law, known as Deana’s Law, to strengthen penalties for drunken driving offenders.
Quinn, a Republican, was the prime sponsor of a law enacted in July 2022 to require drunken driving offenders to serve consecutive sentences on their fourth and subsequent offense.
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'Deana's Law' is named in honor of Deana Eckman, a 45-year-old Delaware County woman who was killed by a repeat drunken driving offender in February 2019.

Eckman was in a drunken driving crash by a man was on parole for his fifth DUI at the time of the fatal crash.

David Strowhouer, 33, was resentenced in November 24 to 51 years in prison for the Feb. 16, 2019 crash that killed Eckman, who now has a repeat DUI law named after her passing through Harrisburg.

Quinn said his his goal is to help prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again.

“I want Deana’s legacy to serve as a reminder of the damage that these reckless individuals can cause when committing repeat DUI offenses,” Quinn said. “My aim was to ensure public safety and try to prevent families from facing the same kind of suffering that Deana’s family suffered through this entire ordeal."

Quinn worked closely with Rich and Roseann DeRosa, Deana Eckman’s parents, to pass this legislation.

“Deana’s family was instrumental in lobbying for this legislation and have worked hard to honor their daughter in the process,” Quinn said.

MADD is a non-profit organization operating in the United States, Canada and Brazil that aims to prevent drunk driving