NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 21-year-old man is facing a long road to recovery after being struck in a Nashville crosswalk on his birthday.
In the meantime, his mother continues to push for the arrest of the hit-and-run driver, while advocates for license plate readers said that city officials told them they aren't coming anytime soon.
Zach Carach is now back home in Florida, focusing on rehabilitation after suffering injuries that may leave him with permanent nerve damage. "I'm hanging in there," Carach said.
His mother, Sheena Carach, describes her son's resilience while acknowledging the toll the incident has taken. "He is one tough, tough, tough individual. This is not only physically draining for him but also mentally and emotionally draining," Sheena said.
The family was visiting Nashville to celebrate Zach's birthday when he was struck while crossing Church Street. Police recovered the vehicle days after the incident, but the driver remains at large.
"It's hard to look at that vehicle and see the damage. Then, 11 days later, know that you know we still don't have the person," Sheena said.
Doctors have informed the family that Zach may not regain feeling in some of his limbs, with weeks and months of surgeries and recovery ahead.
"When you're 21 years old, you do think you're invincible at that age, and yet he's having to rely on every person to do everything for him," Sheena said. "It's hard to know my son is lying in a hospital bed, and there's a criminal out there who's walking around free."
The crash occurred in Councilman Jacob Kupin's district. Sheena, a former police officer herself, believes license plate readers could have helped in her son's case, but Kupin indicated they aren't in Nashville's immediate plans.
"The mayor and the council have spoken about the lack of votes and the lack of support for it. Obviously, we're in a solid all-political time. There's a lot of factors going on," Kupin said.
Despite this setback, Sheena remains committed to advocating for improved safety measures in Nashville. "Every time I look at him, I'm just encouraged to fight harder and do more and make change," Sheena said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to go back to celebrate LPRs in place."
Anyone with information about the driver is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
Here's the link to help the family.
This story was reported by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
If you have thoughts on this story, email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
