RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Dozens took advantage of the Rutherford County Highway Safety Office's Trunk-Or-Treat Tuesday night. For many it's a safer alternative than going in their neighborhood. One family knows the dangers of the holiday well.
Halloween is no longer just a holiday, but a somber anniversary for Chuck Isbell. Four years ago, his 13-year-old son was hit by a car on Halloween and didn't survive. It happened October 31, 2020.
"They had been playing and then went skateboarding on a side street and they had to be back before dark, so they were coming back," Isbell said. "That's when everything happened."
Investigators said that the driver hadn't been paying attention.
"Halloween, this year, falls on a school night and we're supposed to have bad weather," Isbell added. "People need to be made aware."
Sergeant Andy Miller with Smyrna police offered words of caution as well, recommending utilizing safety features like light-colored costumes, reflective gear and lights.
"It doesn't take but three seconds and then an accident's over with," Miller added. "You don't want to be the one that hits a little trick-or-treater."
"Sometimes, especially with littles, it gets challenging when they've got a flashlight," Miller said. "They want to wave it around, but that's okay because when they're waving that flashlight around. Everybody's seeing where they're at and that's what we want."
So others won't go through their heartache, Nate's family helped pass a resolution requiring drivers on Rutherford County residential streets to drive 25 miles per hour on Halloween.
"As adults, or people driving cars, we need to take that into consideration: that children may not be paying attention all the way," Isbell said.
Nate's family doesn't want to stop there. They want this resolution to be picked up across the state. Chuck said that he hopes to meet with Governor Bill Lee soon.