NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's scary to think someone you love could go out for a walk or bike ride and never come back.
On World Remembrance Day, Tennessee traffic crash victims who were walking, biking or skateboarding when they were hit by a car were memorialized.
"The thought of saving another parent from having to walk this path means the world to me," said Kim Milligan.
Just ten weeks ago, Milligan's 23-year-old daughter Alyssa, was riding her bike on Hwy 100 near Warner Parks when she was fatally struck by a pickup truck.
The driver, off-duty police officer Donald Masburn or Maryville was recently charged with failure to yield the right of way involving death and failure to exercise due care.
"As a mom you want to protect your children, so I wondered how could it be that cyclists are in this little strip in the edge of the road? And these trucks and cars are racing by? It was puzzling to me that that was allowed," Milligan said.
The event, organized by Walk Bike Nashville, started with a march from Nashville's city hall to Capitol Hill. Everyone who attended was asked to wear yellow in remembrance. There were 1,000 yellow flags set up on the lawn at the Capitol to honor victims. So far this year, 162 people walking and 11 people riding their bicycle have been killed in a traffic crash in Tennessee.
"We can make changes and I think we can work together to — not save my daughter — but what you could do for me is prevent it from ever happening again. It's a brutal journey for a parent," Milligan said.
In Nashville alone, over 300 pedestrians have been injured and at least 20 have died so far in 2023, according to Metro Nashville Police Department data from October.
