Tragic loss inspires ‘Jaya’s Law,’ increase in penalties for Nevada wrong-way drivers

Jan Brooks looked forward to making his daughter Jaya food every day, getting her ready for gymnastics, watching her grow and being the best dad he could be for her, he said.

“Due to a wrong-way driver, that was taken away from me,” he said during an emotional legislative hearing Tuesday.

On Dec. 9, 2023, the two were six minutes from home when a wrong-way driver struck his car and another on U.S. Highway 95 near the Durango Drive off ramp, killing Jaya Brooks. Two other people died from the crash, including a teacher from Sparks named Karen Foote and the wrong-way driver, Antonia Apton of Bullhead City.

A bill introduced in the Legislature dubbed “Jaya’s Law” aims to curb wrong-way crashes like the one that killed Jaya.

Assembly member Brian Hibbetts — whose district the crash occurred in — presented Assembly Bill 111 in a judiciary committee hearing Tuesday that would make wrong-way driving on a divided highway a misdemeanor.

As the law stands now, wrong-way driving is a civil infraction, he said. AB 116 from the 81st session in 2021 made many traffic infractions civil as opposed to criminal, the Republican assembly member said.

Wrong-way drivers can be charged with reckless driving, but it is difficult to prove those elements in court, Hibbetts said. Though people think wrong-way drivers are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, that is not always the case. The driver who killed Jaya Brooks and Karen Foote did not have any drugs or alcohol in her system, Hibbetts said.

Crashes involving vehicles driving the wrong way is not a rarity.

In December 2024 a wrong-way driver killed Las Vegas police officer Colton Pulsipher on Interstate 15 when he was heading home after a shift.

The Metropolitan Police Department found 634 reports of wrong-way drivers in 2024, according to Hibbetts. Nevada Highway Patrol responded to 731 calls for wrong-way drivers in 2024, and there were 123 wrong-way crashes, which resulted in 49 fatalities, he said.

If turning wrong-way driving into a criminal offense “makes even one person more cognizant of their driving behaviors, then I think it will be worth it, and Jaya’s Law will be a success,” Hibbetts said Tuesday during a hearing.

Police and firefighter associations and departments spoke in favor of the bill, which did not receive any opposition during public comment Tuesday.

Jaya Brooks was a “bundle of love and light,” said Andrea Raney, Jaya Brooks’ grandmother. Stricter penalties and laws can make people think twice, she said.

“Wrong-way driving poses a threat to everyone on our roads, and implementing wrong-way driving as a misdemeanor crime, Nevada has an opportunity to significantly reduce the number of crashes, lost lives and potentially the costs to the states spent on emergency services caused by this reckless behavior,” Raney said.

Jan Brooks said his daughter was a beautiful soul and person who would live her life with a purpose.

“I can’t express how much pain I walk around with that’ll never go away,” he said. “I never want to see anything like this happen to anyone, but especially kids, the most innocent people in the world.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.