Posted: Aug 7, 2012 7:53 AM by Irina Cates - KPAX News
Updated: Aug 7, 2012 7:47 AM
MISSOULA- The family of an eight-year-old Seattle boy who was killed in what appears to be a drunk driving crash are prepared to make Montana's DUI laws stricter.
The child is eight-year-old Jacob Gamble of Seattle, and the suspected drunk driver is 33-year-old Daniel Martin of Missoula.
The Montana Highway Patrol reports Martin was driving the wrong way on the freeway when he crashed into a Honda carrying a family of four from the Seattle area early Sunday morning. The impact killed Jacob instantly.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office says Martin stole the pickup truck from the Testicle Festival in Rock Creek and believes he was drunk.
The grandfather of the young victim says he's prepared to fight for tougher DUI laws in Montana.
"We are really going to put our energy into that and not make this into some type of useless situation. They should have sobriety checkpoints before people left those grounds [at the Testicle Festival]. That's just my feeling on it. I want to get to the bottom of this, and what happened, and how it happened, and why it happened, and [get] as much information as we can get, so this isn't just a wasted, ugly situation," Kell Houston told Montana's News Station.
He added that his daughter and grandson are now back in Seattle.
The family is still looking for their dog that went missing after the crash. Bella is a black lab mix with pointed ears, wearing a red bandana or handkerchief. The family believes at least having her back will help the surviving child in what is an extremely difficult time.
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