On September 28 at 9:30 pm, my husband called my son at his friend’s house to wish him goodnight. At 10:22 p.m., my son, Corey Brady, was dead.

My son turned fourteen on August 11th of 2007. He was an honor roll student, making predominately A’s and B’s. Football was his life passion. He was not only a football player; he was the Captain of the football team. In the summer time, he worked hard with his dad cutting grass to save money for a weight bench. When he was not studying, he was working out lifting weights and running to increase his speed. His dream was to go to Penn State University and become a professional football player.

To my son, a frown was never an obstacle. Whenever he saw someone in despair, he always reached out to help. It did not matter to him who the person was, he knew that they needed help and knew how to do it. He treated everyone as though they were his friend. He thought with his heart first and his self-last.

On September 28th of 2007, my son came to my husband and I and asked to spend the night at his friend’s house. Corey always worked hard and did great in school; we thought he deserved a break. I had talked to his friend’s father in the past and he seemed responsible. His friend frequently spent the night at our house and they always had fun together. Unaware that anything could go wrong, we told our son he could spend the night.

That night, my son’s thirteen-year-old friend took an automobile owned by his parents and drove it, with my son in the vehicle, on a joyride. His friend was driving 71mph, well over the posted speed limit, when he approached a turn and failed to apply the brakes. Due to the intentional, negligent and reckless manner in which the car was driven by this 13 year-old, he had an accident. That night at 10:22 pm, he hit a tree and my son was killed on sudden impact. One only wonders how his friend came to think he had the right to drive this vehicle.

Spending the night at a friend’s house is a part of being an adolescent. However, there are no laws in place to protect these children. As adults, it is our responsibility to ensure that wise decisions are made during these times. Regardless of whether a child is yours, if they are in your household you have the same obligation to make sure they follow the law. Negligence cannot be accepted when it comes to a child’s life.

At Corey’s funeral, nearly one thousand people showed up. My family is relatively small and my husband’s is the same. The people I saw that day drove from all parts of Pennsylvania. There were people from Dover, Spring Grove, Central York, Maryland, and even Virginia. Each one of them had a different memory with Corey. Many people shared these stories with me and I found they all had the same thing in common. My son was still a child.

Although my son had a choice, it was clearly the intentional, negligent and reckless manner in which this 13 year old boy drove a vehicle for which he was not licensed to drive, and the negligence of his parents for not properly supervising the minor children while in their care that killed my son. I cannot rest knowing this could happen to another parent and siblings. There needs to be a law in place protecting these children while under the supervision of another adult.

I hope the story of my son can bring about a well-needed change.

We hope you will consider signing a petition to have Corey Brady's Law elected as legislation.

Sincerely,

Mrs. and Mr. Richard Brady
Dover, PA