A Gainesville Mother Has Been Fighting for Two Years for Clayton’s Law to require drug testing for all fatality accidents in Florida
Kelli Boyd’s son, Clayton, was killed in a crash. The driver was never tested. She’s trying to make sure it never happens to another family.
On June 1, 2024, Clayton “Boo” Emerson, 17, was killed in a crash on East University Avenue in Gainesville. The man who hit him was never tested for drugs or alcohol. There is no toxicology report, and there never will be.
A police report stated that Clayton’s speed was a factor in the crash, but the truck driver pulled out in front of oncoming traffic and was cited for failure to yield. The same report noted the driver showed no signs of slurred speech or loss of balance and that no illegal substances were detected. No toxicology or breathalyzer test was given.
The driver, Keith Grant, a 41-year-old Gainesville resident, has a history of four drug-related arrests in a 13-year period, including an arrest in 2017 for felony drug possession.
“You don’t smell cocaine. You don’t smell synthetic drugs. The adrenaline from just killing somebody can mask the impairment of cocaine or any other drugs,” Boyd said.
His mother, Kelli Boyd of Newberry, started fighting back.
What Clayton’s Law Would Do
Boyd’s petition calls for Clayton’s Law, legislation that would make toxicology testing mandatory in all fatal crashes involving negligence, with no exceptions. You can sign the petition on change.org
Under current Florida statute, officers have discretion over whether to order toxicology screens, even in deadly accidents. Boyd’s proposal would amend state law to make the fatality itself probable cause to trigger testing.
“One family in an identical situation could receive answers, another one doesn’t. It just so happens that mine was one of those left without answers,” Boyd said, calling the current standards for probable cause “subjective” in fatal crashes.
The gap in current law is the same one targeted by Blue’s Law, a parallel effort launched by Lakeland mother Ashlee Schilling after her 19-year-old son Blue Tyler Scott was killed in a motorcycle crash on Nov. 1, 2025. Read that story at thecitrustea.com.
Who Clayton Was
Clayton was funny, loyal, loving, and full of life. He loved his family, his country, and his state. He was in the process of joining the Marines when his life was taken. He was pronounced dead at the scene, killed by blunt force trauma. Boyd described how he made it his mission to try to meet with every local law enforcement agency in Florida and dreamed of becoming an officer after joining the Marine Corps. He would not even get to start his senior year at Williston High School.
Where Things Stand
Boyd has been speaking with lawmakers in hopes of drafting a formal bill. The petition has grown to more than 22,000 signatures.
“What I am trying to do with Clayton’s Law is, whenever a fatality occurs where negligence is involved, it closes that gap so no other parent will have to live with the questions that I do,” Boyd said. “Every investigation would be handled the same way. Right now, they’re not. Some have toxicology screening, others don’t.”
“It is a failure of justice. It is a failure of the system. I believe that every parent deserves answers when something like this happens,” Boyd said.
Change.org petitions are open to signers nationwide and do not qualify as verified signatures under Florida’s citizen initiative process. They serve as tools to build public awareness and demonstrate support to lawmakers. To sign the Clayton’s Law petition, visit change.org/Claytonlaw.
Sources: Alachua Chronicle, press release from Kelli Boyd, July 1, 2025; The Independent Florida Alligator, “Alachua County family addresses grief in petitioned bill,” July 28, 2025; WCJB, “Mother creates petition to pass Florida law requiring toxicology tests after fatal crash,” July 3, 2025; WTSP 10 Investigates, “Florida mothers push for changes to DUI testing laws after crashes,” October 8, 2025; The Floridian, “After Fatal Motorcycle Crash, Mother’s Clayton’s Law Calls for Mandatory Toxicology Testing,” August 2025; WTXL/WPTV, “Grieving Florida mom hopes son’s death will inspire new law for mandatory toxicology tests,” September 9, 2025; Change.org, Clayton’s Law petition, change.org/Claytonlaw.
