Parents honor children killed in pedestrian accidents, call on Tennessee lawmakers to make roads safer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Dozens marched through downtown Nashville Sunday afternoon on World Road Traffic Victims Day of Remembrance, hoping to honor Tennessee traffic victims and advocate for safer roads.

Yellow ribbons, flowers and traffic lined the streets, eventually making their way in front of the state Capitol.

Many parents shared stories of children lost in pedestrian accidents. One of the most recent victims to be honored was 23-year-old Alyssa Milligan, a Belmont University graduate student from Mount Juliet, who was hit and killed while riding on Interstate 100 in September.

The Wilson County Public Information Office is advocating for pedestrian and bicycle safety after a woman was killed on a bike

“She was a triathlete, she was biking with a friend and she was on the side of the road and she was hit by a pickup truck and flew 30 feet and was killed,” Alyssa’s mother, Kim Milligan, explained.

Alyssa is one of 34 pedestrians killed in Davidson County so far this year, and one of 176 across the state. Alissa’s family, along with others, have called on state leaders to take action through measures like lowering speed limits and adding more bike lanes.

“I think we can work together, not to spare my daughter, but what you can do for me is prevent this from happening again. It’s a brutal journey for a parent,” Kim said.

To give lawmakers a visual, yellow flags were placed outside the state Capitol to represent the nearly 1,000 people whose lives are lost on Tennessee’s roads each year.

The study ranked Nashville as the second most dangerous city for pedestrians

“These are not just flags… these are not just statistics and numbers. These are people, these are families that are being destroyed, and at the pace we’re going, it’s touching more and more people,” said Chuck Isbell, who lost his 13-year-old son, Nate. Every year, it grows.” On Halloween night 2020.

Since his son was struck and killed by a speeding driver in Rutherford County, Chuck has called for speed limits to be reduced to 25 mph in all residential areas across the state, which he said gives pedestrians a 90% chance of survival, should Collision. He also believes it is a procedure that could have saved his son’s life.

“Something has to change. Every family loses a member, they lose their future, they bury their future, they bury someone dear to them, and that has to stop. I mean we as a society have to do better and understand that pedestrians have the right of way and we have to respect that .

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At the event on Sunday, November 19, a Metro Nashville accident investigator shared with News 2 that fatal accidents are historically on the rise. So far this year we have seen 119 fatal accidents, just under the 120 we saw in all of 2022.

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