NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — A grieving mother, Kimberly Patterson, is pushing for both justice and enhanced safety measures after her son, Dustin Brumley, became a victim in a fatal pedestrian crash on Dec. 3rd.
Brumley, a 30-year-old father of two, lost his life in a hit-and-run incident on Nolensville Pike, one of the city's busiest and notoriously dangerous streets.
The incident unfolded when Brumley, an avid runner, was struck and killed by a white Dodge Challenger while jogging along Nolensville Pike and McClain Avenue. The driver never stopped.
Patterson, overwhelmed with grief, is not only mourning the untimely loss of her son, but also advocating for justice in his case. She shares her feelings in the player above, holding back tears.
The police are seeking to question 19-year-old Jefry Francisco Rubi Orellana in connection with the hit-and-run, and the family is urging him to come forward and cooperate with authorities.
Anyone with information on Orellana is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
“I know he must be scared. We just want justice,” pleaded Patterson.
The family is also calling for increased safety measures along Nolensville Pike, a a road that sees over 26,000 vehicles daily.
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), there have been 816 reported crashes along this corridor since 2014, with 68 involving pedestrians or bicyclists. Tragically, 59 of these incidents resulted in fatalities or serious injuries, with 40% involving pedestrians or individuals using wheelchairs.
To address the concerning safety record, the family is hopeful that something positive can emerge from the tragedy.
With $13 million in federal grant funding allocated for improvements, Nolensville Pike is set to undergo significant upgrades from McCall Street to Haywood Lane.
These will include, but are not limited to the following:
- building safe sidewalk connections where they are currently missing
and/or are in need of repair - constructing additional street lighting and pedestrian-scale lighting to improve visibility during dark and low-light conditions;
- constructing safer intersections and crossings, including adding high visibility crosswalks, adding pedestrian hybrid beacons at strategic locations, adjusting signal timings to include leading pedestrian intervals, and constructing bulb-out intersection features
- enhancing bus stop designs to ensure safe access
Patterson expressed her hope that these improvements would prevent future tragedies.
“If this helps get the roads fixed or the lighting or whatever it is that they need and saves one person's life, I would be grateful and very happy,” she said.
While the start date for the construction on Nolensville Pike is yet to be announced, the city of Nashville has already approved $3.2 million in local funds for the project.
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom
