Mom fights for Lilliana's Law to honor daughter killed by falling lunch table

They dropped off their little girl at Head Start and she would never come home.

Nearly two years ago little Lilliana Kerr lost her life when a recalled lunch table fell on top of her at St. Albert the Great in Dearborn Heights. Now the family wants to make sure no one else experiences this type of tragedy.

"As parents, we're thinking our schools are up to date, up to code, and that's not the case," said Tabatha Kerr. "That's not the case at all.

"And I have proof of that and she's buried at St. Hedwig Cemetery."

And Tabatha Kerr doesn't want other families to experience what she did. Her daughter Lillian was killed when a recalled lunch table attached to a wall fell on top of her while attending a Head Start program. That was in 2017.

Now Kerr is gathering signatures to persuade lawmakers to pass Lilliana's law, a bill that would require the state to conduct yearly school inspections.

"To make sure these schools will actually be safe," Kerr said. "It's not really a lot to ask for. And if something needs to be fixed, it should be fixed."

The bill has been stuck in committee since May, partially because of the price tag. It would cost the state $3 million to inspect schools for health and safety violations.

State Rep. Klint Kesto introduced Lilliana’s law, but he’s term limited and won't be headed back to Lansing in the new year.

"We are going to work to make sure there is another representative or senator that sponsors it, if we can't get it over the finish line," Kesto said. "We are running out of days unfortunately. But this is a good law, it protects our children and makes sure they are in a safe environment - especially the little ones."

For more information: 

A Change.Org petition has been created for House Bill 5984. CLICK HERE.

To read more about HB5984 CLICK HERE.