Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 7:30 pm | Updated: 10:10 am, Wed Sep 17, 2014. By ANTHONY DIMATTIA Staff writer A Bensalem teen was honored Tuesday by state lawmakers for heroically trying to save his brother, who had been hit by a vehicle. Vincent Viola, 16, was recognized in Harrisburg for performing CPR on his brother, Ryan Viola, who died after being struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Bensalem Boulevard and Portside Drive in 2012. Vincent’s actions prevented Ryan’s vital organs from being deprived of oxygen, which allowed the organs to be donated to five transplant recipients. “Could you imagine giving CPR to your brother on the side of a road at 6:30 a.m. that kept him alive until the next day,” state Rep. Gene DiGirolamo said during a speech Tuesday in Harrisburg. “As tragic as that day was and as those days to follow were, five individuals were given a second chance at life.” The Viola family now volunteers at Gift of Life, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that is part of a national organ and tissue sharing network that coordinates donors with receiving hospitals. They continue to raise funds in hopes of dedicating a room in Ryan’s honor at the Gift of Life Family House in Philadelphia, which houses patients who are waiting for or have received an organ transplant. The Violas, along with DiGirolamo, R-18, and state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson, R-6, both of Bensalem, are also pushing for a bill called Ryan’s Law that would charge motorists who do not have a proper driver’s license with a second-degree misdemeanor if they are involved in an accident that causes death or serious injury. The charge would come with a maximum two-year jail sentence and $5,000 fine. The driver of the car that struck Ryan was cited for traffic violations but no criminal charges were filed even though her driver’s license was suspended. The bill, introduced Tuesday by DiGirolamo, is headed to the state’s House Transportation Committee, said Alice Viola, Ryan and Vincent’s mother. It will likely go back to the House for a vote in February if approved by the committee, Viola said. “The driver of the vehicle should never have been on the road,” DiGirolamo said. “This (bill) will allow a degree of accountability for those who break the law. buckscountycouriertimes/remembering-ryan-viola/youtube_932eff3e-f0ce-5e14-88a3-ed010b824bf4.html
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 19:34:12 +0000
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