Mechanicsburg woman pushes to reach families faster after emergencies

A Mechanicsburg woman continues to honor her son’s memory by promoting an online registry to make it easier for authorities to contact family members in case of a traffic accident or similar emergencies.

Carmela Wiant, of Mechanicsburg, celebrated her son David Money’s life last week. He was killed in an auto accident near Columbus 11 years ago when he was headed home from work and lost control of his vehicle when it began hydroplaning.

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Wiant worked with law enforcement agencies and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to develop a Next of Kin registry after the accident. She said she was told over the phone that her son had been killed after a delay finding her and the goal was to make it easier for law enforcement officials to notify family members more easily.

“It is very hard for police to find family,” Wiant said.

Several states have similar laws in place, but Wiant said she is trying to work with other states to get the registry implemented in as many states as possible.

“Until you’ve been through this, you think the police can find me right away,” Wiant said. “And a lot of times they can’t.”

People can sign up for the Ohio registry online at www.bmv.ohio.gov/dl-other-next-kin.aspx, at deputy registrar license bureau in the state or by downloading a form off the state's website and mailing it in.

Residents who sign up for the registry can add two emergency contacts to be made available to law enforcement. Contact information is stored in a secure database accessible only by the Ohio BMV and law enforcement. The database was created in 2008.

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On the web:

http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/dl-other-next-kin.aspx

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