ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A hit-and-run crash on Interstate 65 South has left a family devastated as they seek justice for their loved ones. The incident occurred on a dangerous stretch of highway, taking the lives of two men and forever changing the lives of those who knew them.
Aubrey McKee, one of the victims, was a vibrant individual known for his love of cooking, dancing, and singing.
His mother, Vanessa McKee, can hardly hold back her emotions when speaking about her son.
"He loved his family," she said. "He loved his Aunties, his uncles, his cousin Tanesha – who was his best friend."
The ill-fated day started as Aubrey, accompanied by his friend Tanesha, her fiancé Jamal and another friend, was driving from Kentucky to Nashville on I-65 South.
According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol preliminary crash report, Aubrey lost control of the vehicle, causing it to collide with a guardrail and then a concrete barrier.
In the aftermath of the crash, as Aubrey and Jamal Snell were attempting to exit the wreckage, a pickup truck slammed into their car, throwing them onto the roadway.
The family's attorney said just moments later, a commercial vehicle struck the men, instantly ending their lives, and the driver left the scene.
Heartbreaking barely scratches the surface of the pain this family is enduring.
Tanesha, who survived the harrowing crash but bears both physical and emotional scars, clings to her memories of her fiancé Jamal while holding their young daughter.
The couple was scheduled to be married only days after the tragic incident.
Malcom Bellamy, Tanesha's uncle, expressed the profound anguish that has engulfed the family.
"There's no closure. There's no closure at all. There's only open-ended questions," Bellamy said.
In the midst of their sorrow, the family has enlisted the help of attorney Blair Durham, who announced a $1000 reward for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the hit-and-run driver responsible.
"We have so many hit-and-run cases, but when you're driving a tractor-trailer and you have the callousness to kill someone and leave, that's just wrong," Durham said.
The families plea for justice is heartfelt and earnest.
"Please help give us closure, help give us a sense that they just weren't left out there on the highway covered with sheets," Bellamy said.
The tragedy has not only claimed lives but has left two other passengers from the car severely injured, struggling to recover from the trauma they experienced.
