NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As many celebrate Spring Break, March Madness, and Saint Patrick's Day, one family is calling on the public to enjoy the festivities responsibly.
Just ten days ago, tragedy struck when Charles "Alan" Fountain, 65, was fatally struck while riding his electric scooter to a nearby store. The driver who hit him fled the scene, only to later turn herself in, admitting she was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs at the time of the crash.
In an emotional phone call, Alan's daughter, Karen Hawkins, shared her family's grief and called for justice, hoping her father’s death would serve as a wake-up call for those tempted to drink and drive.
Hawkins described her father as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and Navy veteran.
"He was just that kind of man. He would get the shirt off his back. I mean, he was a good man," she said.
As an over-the-road truck driver from Jacksonville Florida, Hawkins always worried about her father being on the road, often recounting how other drivers would cut him off or slow down abruptly. But when the family in Florida received the tragic news, they initially thought it had to do with an accident involving his truck.
“I had no idea that something this horrific happened,” Hawkins said. "Honestly, that's whenever I got the news about my dad, that's what I thought happened."
According to Metro Nashville Police, Alan had parked his truck at a truck stop on Old Hickory Boulevard near I-24 and was riding his electric scooter to a nearby store.
As he made his way back, he was struck by Karla Guadalupe Armendariz, who did not stop.
“He was drug 900 feet at a very high speed,” Hawkins said. “We can all just imagine what my father went through and then to be left.”
Armendariz, driving a gray Toyota Tundra pickup, fled the scene, but a tip from the public led to her turning herself in the next day. She admitted to drinking six beers and taking a prescription drug before the crash, claiming she had blacked out and could not remember the collision.
Hawkins expressed her heartbreak over the fact that her father was left to die in the street, but she also extended gratitude to the strangers who tried to help. "The next step is getting justice for Alan," she said. "I don’t want anyone to forget my dad’s face. I don’t want anyone to forget that that was a person whose life was taken and that was drug and that was left."
The family hopes that sharing Alan’s story will encourage others to think twice before driving under the influence.
“If it’s just the one person that decides to call an Uber or call a friend, it’s worth it to put it out there,” said Hawkins. “We live in a time where there are so many options people have to avoid getting behind the wheel and risking their lives and others.”
Hawkins also voiced her frustration that change won’t come until harsher consequences are imposed on those who drive while intoxicated.
“Nothing is going to change until harsher consequences happen,” she said. "People need to think twice about getting behind the wheel drunk."
As a final tribute to her father, Hawkins revealed that Alan, who loved to fish, will be buried at sea, hoping his story will serve as a reminder for all to be responsible behind the wheel.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com
Fundraising efforts are underway in Brownsville and Nutbush, TN to build a statue for a major superstar who was raised there, Anna Mae Bullock. You probably know her by her stage name, Tina Turner. I was a huge fan of Tina and glad to see efforts are underway to showcase more of her ties to West Tennessee.
-Lelan Statom
