TORONTO - A grieving mother who lost her three children and her father in a horrific crash north of Toronto is harnessing a wave of public support and outrage to push for tougher penalties against drunk drivers.
Jennifer Neville-Lake says returning to the site of the crash on Thanksgiving weekend inspired her to launch what she called her "final bit of advocacy" for her children.
Nine-year-old Daniel, Harrison, 5, and two-year-old Milly Neville-Lake were killed along with Gary Neville, 65, after the van they were in was T-boned by an SUV in Vaughan, Ont., on Sept. 27. The children's grandmother and great-grandmother were also seriously injured in the crash.
Marco Muzzo, 29, has been charged with a dozen counts of impaired driving and six more charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle related to the incident.
He remains in police custody pending a bail hearing next Monday and his high-profile defence lawyer has said it's premature to indicate how Muzzo will plead.
The maximum sentence for impaired driving causing death is life in prison and Neville-Lake says it's crucial for politicians and the courts to know the public supports that ruling.
