Pa. Senate finally passes bill requiring drivers to clear snow and ice from trucks — 16 years after a deadly Lehigh Valley tragedy

HARRISBURG — It’s been 16 years since Frank Lambert saw a chunk of ice that dislodged from a moving truck smash through the windshield of the vehicle he was riding in and kill his wife of 30 years, Christine Lambert.

That was Christmas Day, 2005. Wednesday night, a bit of goodness sprang from the tragedy.

The Pennsylvania Senate gave unanimous final approval to a measure that would require motorists to make “reasonable efforts” to remove accumulated snow and ice from a vehicle within 24 hours of the end of a storm, and let police pull over vehicles that have a dangerous build-up.

Current state law has no such provisions.

The bill — whose snow-and-ice language was crafted by Northampton County Democratic Sen. Lisa Boscola — now goes to Gov. Tom Wolf for his consideration.

“Overwhelming,” was how Frank Lambert, who is 74 and lives in Palmer Township, described his emotions. “What can I say? It has been a long, long battle.”

The bill says truck drivers and other motorists must attempt to clear snow or ice from areas “including the hood, trunk and roof of the vehicle, within 24 hours after the cessation of the falling snow or ice” with certain exceptions. A driver, the bill says, may be stopped if a police officer “believes the accumulated ice or snow may pose a threat to persons or property.”

Those safety provisions were crucial for Boscola, a Senate veteran who started working on legislation soon after the 2005 tragedy.

The fact that police may be able to prevent tragedies, she said, will be a step forward.

“It’s being proactive,” Boscola said.

On the Senate floor, she told fellow lawmakers “Christine’s Law” was a tribute to the woman who died tragically and to the dedication of her family in seeking the law.

The bill also sets a $50 fine per offense, and a fine of $200 to $1,500 per offense when snow or ice falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury.

Frank Lambert and the couple’s son, Matthew Lambert, were both in the sport utility vehicle when the chunk of ice struck the windshield as Christine Lambert was driving on Route 209 in Nesquehoning, Carbon County. They were going to her parents’ home for Christmas dinner.

The ice dislodged from a tractor-trailer traveling in the opposite direction. Frank Lambert saw the airborne projectile for a split-second before it hit.

“We had no chance, no way of getting out of the way,” he said.

Their grief was for a 51-year-old wife and mother Frank Lambert described as tireless and someone who “couldn’t take defeat.”

Christine Lambert studied radiation therapy as an adult and worked at St. Luke’s Hospital in that discipline for 17 years. Doing her own sewing, she created her wedding gown, and suits for her husband. She made beautiful things out of stained glass, her husband said.

Beyond their grief, her family saw the continued danger from snow- and ice-laden vehicles. Working with Boscola, Frank and Matthew Lambert made many trips to Harrisburg over the years to talk to transportation officials or lawmakers.

A law passed after the tragedy set in place fines for the operator of a vehicle from which snow or ice breaks loose and causes death or serious bodily injury. That one, though, contains no proactive language.

Wednesday night, the Lamberts got that language.

A spokesperson for Wolf did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boscola could not see any reason he would oppose it.

Frank Lambert said, “It took longer than we all thought. But it’s here.”