Belmont rallies around Walkers after car wreck
Sep. 23—Macie Walker is more than just a former player to Chris Higginbottom. She's family.
The same might be said about Walker and the entire Belmont community, which has rallied around the basketball standout and her immediate family. Walker was involved in a head-on collision on Monday, a crash that killed her 13-year-old brother, Michael, and seriously injured both Macie and her mother, Melissa Walker.
"It's a call that none of us ever want to get, period," said Higginbottom, who coached Macie at Belmont High School.
Higginbottom's wife, Ashley, is a cousin of the Walkers. They've known Macie and Michael since birth.
"I coached Macie, I was close to Macie, but she's always been sort of like a daughter to me," Higginbottom said.
On the court, Macie was a star. She led Belmont to the Class 3A state championship last season, and she was named the Daily Journal Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She then signed to play for North Alabama, where she is now a freshman.
On Monday, she was with her mother and brother, driving back from Booneville on Highway 365, when a Ford Explorer barreled head-on into the Walkers' Ford Escape.
Michael, a seventh-grader at Iuka Middle School, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Macie and Melissa have been at the North Mississippi Medical Center undergoing a battery of surgeries to repair broken bones and internal organ injuries.
Macie was moved out of the ICU on Wednesday. Melissa's situation is more dire, but Higginbottom said she's improving each day.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Walkers to help with funeral expenses and medical bills. As of early Thursday afternoon, more than $36,000 has been raised by over 500 donors.
On Wednesday night, a prayer vigil was held outside Calvary Baptist Church in Belmont, with several of Macie's former teammates and classmates in attendance.
"It just shows you how supportive the Belmont community is and Tishomingo County, and even outward, how much this family means to the community and what an impact they've had and what an impact Macie's made at Belmont School," Higginbottom said.
The driver of the Ford Explorer was 33-year-old Brittany A. Norris of Counce, Tennessee. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the accident and is expected to release more details in the coming days.
