A crash leaves mother and daughter dead, and now a Midstate woman is pushing for changes to a Wilson County road

WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Midstate mother and daughter were killed on a Wilson County road, and now a family friend is pushing for safety changes.

In May, Brooke and her 12-year-old daughter, August Brashier, were killed in a head-on crash in the 4200 block of East Division Street.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol report, Brooke lost control of her Hyundai Palisade, overcorrected and crossed the center line when she collided with a cement mixer.

The area has neither shoulders nor guardrails.

Jessica McCormack was Brooke's best friend and she believes that if certain changes had been made to the road, the mother and daughter might have survived.

“On Facebook you can see all the comments that day, so many people have had a similar experience. “The road is only 22 feet wide in both lanes,” McCormack said. “When I'm in my little Ford Focus, it's fine, but when I'm in a truck or an SUV, the ride on that road is so narrow.”

Brooke's mother, Vici Smith, said life will never be the same for her and her two young grandchildren.

“Everything has changed for her two sons. They no longer have her or August and their lives are simply turned upside down. The first thing, maybe 30 seconds in the morning when I wake up; before I’m fully awake is the only peace I have now.”

McCormack has been researching and reaching out to elected officials and state departments to find out what improvements can currently be made along East Division Street.

She has spent time with Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto, who is also chairman of the road commission, and said he is working on improvements along that road.

“It’s one that’s been there for a while. When I look at the accident data, I'm surprised that more didn't happen,” said Hutto. “If you look at the E Division, before these two there were 96 accidents, two deaths or serious injuries.”

Hutto said the county has applied for money from the state and the Build Back Better Grant provided by the federal government.

“We were turned down because the road has so much of Mt. Juliet and so much of Lebanon,” Hutto said. “When we applied, they asked us to ask these cities to join us.”

The district and the two cities will apply for the grant again in the spring.

Meanwhile, McCormack said she wants to see the changes implemented now.

She and Hutto wrote a letter to 11 businesses along the road that frequently operate large vehicles such as tractor-trailers and cement trucks to see if they would be willing to use a different route.

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