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Ceremony to Commemorate the Passage of the Tyler Head Law held in Clarksville

Clarksville Police Department - CPDClarksville, TN – On Friday, May 3rd, 2016 at 10:00am, Tennessee State Representative Joe Pitts and State Senator Kerry Roberts joined Gina Head-Heiber, the mother of Tyler Head, along with her family, friends, and guests to unveil the first sign for the new memorial sign program recognizing victims of accidents involving a DUI driver along state highways.

The ceremony was held at 1503 Madison Street, where the Cumberland Grille restaurant was located.

Tyler Head Family and Sign
Tyler Head Family and Sign

Tyler Head was killed in Clarksville on February 3rd, 2012 when his vehicle was hit head-on by an impaired driver on Madison Street.

Representative Pitts started the ceremony by thanking those in attendance and explained that we were gathered to commemorate the passage of the Senate Bill and House Bill that will forever be known as the Tyler Head Law.

Also, he recognized Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan, Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett, District Attorney General John Carney, Austin Peay State University’s Dr. Rex Gandy, Chuck Head (Tyler’s father) and Tyler’s friends and family in attendance. Clarksville Police personnel attended, and Representative Pitts thanked the CPD and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies for their assistance in traffic control during the ceremony.

Senator Roberts said that today was about Tyler and his family. He spoke about his many conversations with Gina and told her he was grateful for her persistence. He said, “This is a lasting tribute, not only to Tyler but also to serve as a reminder to people for years to come about the tragedy that occurs when people drive under the influence.”

Gina Head-Heiber thanked Representative Pitts and his staff and Senator Roberts and his staff for sponsoring the bill. She also thanked the TN Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) organization, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), Austin Peay State University (APSU), and friends and family for their continued support throughout this process.

Mrs. Head-Heiber—“As a grieving mother, my greatest fear was that our precious Tyler would be forgotten. I wanted a way to bring awareness to this epidemic of impaired driving and to keep Tyler’s name and presence out there in the public eye.”

Mrs. Head-Heiber begs everyone not to drive impaired in any way. She not only spoke about the tragedies that occur from driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs (prescription or illegal), but she also included tragedies that occur when driving while sleep deprived or while texting or talking on the phone. She went on to say that impaired driving kills, injures, and maims innocent people. She concluded by saying, “I am and always will be Tyler Head’s mama.”

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