‘Not just numbers:’ Group gathers in Market Square to remember crash victims

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A group gathered in Market Square on Sunday to remember the lives of their loved ones lost to road crashes.

The World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims is commemorated internationally on the third Sunday of November every year.

"These are not just numbers. These are not just statistics. These are our mothers, our fathers, our wives, our neighbors, our friends. These are human beings and members of our community, and they deserve better. We all deserve to be able to get where we need to go safely, and our street should support that." said Zoe Scott with Bike Walk Knoxville.

Thirty-six lives were lost on non-highway streets in Knoxville in 2023. This made 2023 the deadliest year for Knoxville roads in the last five years, according to a report from the city.

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Michelle Lawson lost her 23-year-old son, Quinton Fields , after he was struck by a car on Henley street in September 2022. Lawson attested to her son's personality and who he was before the incident.

"He was good. He was funny. He had a personality for sure. He worked hard. He was just an amazing person. You know, I miss him every day. He was the glue to our family, for sure." said Lawson.

She is now a strong advocate for safe driving by not speeding, being distracted, and or impaired while behind the wheel.

"Slow down. What's so important that you have to hurry up and go home for? I mean, are you going home to your kids? I was warning mine to come home to me, but he didn't." she explained.

Lawson previously shared with 6 News that Fields had been celebrating a Tennessee football win on the night of his death. She said he had wrote in her mother's day card that he would talk to her more often, and that was the promise he was keeping when he called her around 12:20 a.m. that night. Knoxville Police said he was struck about 25 minutes later.

Mayor Indya Kincannon spoke at this event. She discussed about the sadness she feels for Michelle Lawson's loss and also encouraged drivers to slow down to save lives.

"It's very poignant to see that she's suffering from the loss of her beloved son. And and he, also left two fatherless children. All because as he was walking across Henley street, someone was speeding and hit him. So, to everyone who is driving too fast, just slow down because your life and the lives of those around you depend on it." said Kincannon.

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Kincannon also spoke about the future plans moving forward. The city of Knoxville plans to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries while also increasing safety for roadway users.

This is all a part of an action plan called "Vision Zero" where they are proceeding with the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, according to an annual report from the city. This involves implementing "quick build" solutions to city streets to get users to slow down and solve more safety issues.

"Hopefully, we continue to memorialize the people we lose and hopefully that number drops down from 36....and eventually gets to zero." says Kincannon.