Tennessee honor student returns home after hit-and-run crash

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Over a month ago, a 16-year-old honor student named Thomas Powell was fighting to stay alive after being a victim of a hit-and-run.

Now, he is focused on recovering physically and mentally after being discharged from the hospital this weekend.

“If the police don’t catch you, God will,” Thomas Powell said. “I guarantee you that you will regret what you did.”

On July 2, a car slammed into Powell near his home on Brooks and Rochester Roads, changing his life forever.

The driver took off without stopping, leaving him with no memory of the incident, a painful reality his brother Micah often has to explain to him.

“I didn’t know that he was going to keep asking me about it because he asked me while he was in rehab and he asked me again when we got here,” Micah Williams said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ He keeps asking me about this situation.”

“I did forget everything really,” Powell said. “I don’t remember much even the first three days after I came back conscious.”

The crash shattered Powell’s leg in two places and left him with a traumatic brain injury.

His brother Jonathan thought he wouldn’t survive after seeing him on the ground.

“When I saw him leave the hospital, I was really grateful because when I seen him laying out on the ground, it looked like he wasn’t going to be able to walk out of a hospital,” Jonathan Williams.

While in the hospital, Powell’s family and community rallied around him, offering support and celebrating his college acceptance letters and academic offers.

Powell told WREG that he’s confident he’ll fight his way back.

“If I was put back in the school environment, I’d definitely be at the top of my class once again,” Powell said.

Thomas’ mom said she’s thrilled to have her son home and aims for him to return to school in January, once he completes his recovery tasks.

“They’re still doing speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy with him,” Shauntay Williams said.

But, she’s left frustrated with the lack of answers from the Memphis Police following the incident and is now seeking justice for her son.

“MPD needs to come on with it and get these streets in order so these babies can have a chance to live. Half of them have kids themselves,” Shauntay Williams said. “Stop telling these folks that the things that they’re doing is okay because it’s not okay. Stop babysitting the problems because it’s not okay.”

Memphis Police said the hit-and-run crash is still under investigation.

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