Behind home plate is where Terry Dolan felt most at home.

“He was that person who didn’t just do a job, whatever the job was, whether it was his paid job or a volunteer job. He always did extra,” said Melinda Dolan, Terry’s wife.

Terry volunteered his time at Roadrunner Little League for more than two decades.

“It’s one thing to do it when you’re healthy and young and all of that. But even at 70 years old, in daily pain, he was up here working fields,” said Melinda.

He did it on top of his day job as a special education teacher at Hayes Middle School. His wife Melinda met him there in 1983. 

“I met him in January, and we started dating in April, and we got engaged in June, and we married in September that year,” Melinda said.

Two kids and 41 years later.

“He would say that he was lucky to find me and, but I would have to say ‘Back at you,'” said Melinda.

She would if she still could.

“It was Sunday, August 4th.”

Terry left for the gym and Melinda called in a dinner order. She ran into yellow police tape at Menaul and Eubank on her way to pick it up a half mile from her house. 

“I did think, ‘Oh, I hope Terry didn’t get caught up in like a fender bender accident or something coming back from the gym.'”

She stopped at the scene on her way home just to double-check.

“It’s one of those things where your eyes see the whole scene at once, but your brain doesn’t process the whole thing at once.” 

She saw her husband’s totaled car, then a white sheet in the street. 

“Right foot sticking out from under sheet, black sock, clearly Terry’s foot and lower leg, because he had very skinny legs.”

Her world crumbled. 

“I remember doing this a lot with my hands. I don’t, you know, it’s like you try to get blood to them or something. And I just, I just remember saying, like, ‘No, no.’ Like, it just like, that can’t be.”

A driver ran a red light on Menaul as Terry was starting through a green light on Eubank. 

“A very loving, giving human being had their life ended so needlessly because somebody wanted to get through an intersection. Before I ever even called in the order for the food, he was gone already. And that was so crushing to me.”

It’s that crushing pain that has reckless driving near the top of Albuquerque city leaders’ legislative priority list for this upcoming session. 

“Reckless driving takes lives. And it’s important to remember the lives lost and the families that are left behind when that happens,” said Mayor Tim Keller. 

Right now, the maximum penalty for vehicular homicide is six years. It jumps to 18 when there are drugs or alcohol involved. 

“What we’re trying to do is propose that we could increase the penalties for these so they’d be more in line with a homicide. So there are greater consequences,” said Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. 

This effort is mostly motivated by illegal street racing, but it could impact families like the Dolan’s.

“People will say, like, I don’t want my person to, you know, my loved ones who have died in vain. I mean, it’s kind of cliché, but there’s a reality to that,” said Melinda.

No one is facing charges for Terry’s death. The district attorney’s office confirms it’s reviewing the case, and waiting on items from police. 

“That has been one of the most grievous aspects of the fallout from this was the thought that possibly this was just going to be treated like an automobile accident,” Melinda said.

She says that would just be too small for Terry’s full life. 

“It’s just not the same without him. And I speak on behalf of hundreds of people,” said Melinda.