‘A tragedy’: Family mourns young mom killed in racing-related crash

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Loved ones mourn the loss of a young mother killed in a crash over the weekend.

Olivia Taylor, 23, was a passenger in a car that police said “appeared to be racing another vehicle” early Sunday morning on Interstate 24 when the car crashed.

“It’s a tragedy,” Taylor’s cousin Adam Champion told News 2. “It’s a tragedy.”

The loss is a reality that hasn’t quite set in yet.

“It’s tough ’cause, like you said, it hasn’t even been a full 24 hours,” Champion said.

Champion has come to town to help his family plan a funeral.

“We are going to miss her, we are going to truly miss her,” he explained

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said that Taylor was in a car driven by a 24-year-old Jackson man who appeared to be racing another vehicle when it “overshot the exit ramp to Briley Parkway North and lost control, eventually coming to a rest on the other side of the on ramp.”

Investigators told News 2 that charges are anticipated in the fatal crash that left the driver in critical condition.

“God is in everything and — you know — even in tragedy, God is still in that and this is a wake up call to somebody to somebody else,” Champion said. “It’s not cool to get on the highways and freeways and go 100 miles per hour and just do what you do….There are other people’s lives at stake. This is a lesson. This is a learning opportunity for those that might think about doing it or those that want to do it.”

The family has asked for prayers, adding that Taylor’s two two young kids were her life. The family is originally from Jackson, but Taylor most recently called Murfreesboro home.

“She dedicated her life to her kids. I know for a fact that she worked two jobs — countless hours to provide for her children. So, you know, it’s tough. Especially with the kids being so young, like six and one. That’s a hard pill for all of us to swallow.”

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Champion said that he’s been left trying to focus on the light, adding that Taylor was a spice of her own. He described her as a bit of a wildcat that was also sweet and down to earth.

“She loved God. She loved her parents. She loved her brothers and sisters. She loved her kids. She loved her family. She loved everyone around her,” Champion said. “I want her to be remembered in light and I want her to be remembered in love.”

A GoFundMe has been set up by a friend of the family to help Taylor’s family with funeral cost and her two children.

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