Sobriety checkpoint held in memory of teen killed in hit-and-run
SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) – A teen who was hit and killed by a drugged driver is being honored in a unique way.
This week marks 10 years since 13-year-old Clifton Braunwalder was killed on I-24 while changing his mom’s flat tire. In memory of Clifton, the Braunwalder family is working with Rutherford County law enforcement to conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday, April 12, with hopes no other family suffers their same heartache.
“It almost seems like yesterday,” Clifton’s father, Norbert, told News 2.
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On April 10, 2014, Clifton was helping his mom change a flat tire on I-24 in Smyrna when a driver veered across traffic, hitting and killing him. Police said the driver was under the influence of Xanax, amphetamines, and marijuana.
“When she got up that day, she didn’t intend to kill anybody. Her actions that day with what she had in her system and her driving caused her to kill my son, but it wasn’t intentional; I realize that,” Norbert explained.
Not intentional but preventable, with Clifton’s forgiving family hoping their tragedy will make others think twice.
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“It’s hard enough to plan a funeral for a spouse or a parent, you know, but when it’s a child, it’s even harder. People need to think, don’t get behind a wheel, you know? If you are at a party, have a designated driver; it’s that simple. There’s Ubers these days, Lyft, and if you are on prescriptions, know what you are taking, know how it affects you,” said Norbert.
Ten years later, the driver of the deadly hit and run remains behind bars, while Clifton’s family is left grasping hold of memories of what could have been.
“Seeing his friends graduate college now, starting to get married, and then when they start to have kids, all those moments we missed with him. Let people know you care about them. Say, ‘I love you,’ and hopefully you make it back at the end of the day.”
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In honor of Clifton, a sobriety checkpoint will be held Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight on Sam Ridley Parkway.
Tina Wilson pleaded guilty to the charges of the deadly hit-and-run. The Braunwalders believe she is up for parole this year. They told News 2’s Stephanie Langston as long as she doesn’t have any marks against her in prison, they won’t stand in her way of being released.
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