Friday marks a year since a tragic accident that killed a McCutchanville firefighter. Thursday night, in the sleet and rain, family and friends gathered at the crash site in Vanderburgh County for a flag planting ceremony to remember Jeremy Tighe.
More than 280 flags line north St. Joseph Avenue in Vanderburgh County. Family and friends came here to honor 18-year-old Jeremy Tighe, a volunteer firefighter for the McCutchanville Fire Department. A year ago, Tighe went on an emergency run, but never made it back to the fire station.
"Rain, sleet, or snow, Jeremy would've been out on that fire truck, so we decided that we weren't canceling for weather because Jeremy wouldn't have canceled being on the truck whether it was, as you know the weather that night was bad, so we're all here," Jerri Johnson said.
Tighe was a passenger in the fire truck, when the driver lost control, ran off the shoulder of the road, and overturned. Tighe died on the scene. The crash happened less than a half mile from the fire station.
"It gets hard. It makes you want to break down and cry from losing somebody so close and you never know when one of your friends is gonna go," Rachael Watson said.
"It's really hard because like as much as it hurts inside, I've never been more proud of anybody in my entire life. Jeremy, he did things that I never would've thought possible," Jacob Kyte said.
Tighe's mother, Jerri Johnson continues to fight to make this road safer. She says the road is too narrow and the ditch is too steep.
"I don't want any other family to go through what I'm going through. I mean, people say it gets better with time. It doesn't, you learn to deal with the grief. I don't grieve Jeremy every day, I grieve Jeremy every second of every day," Johnson said.
Johnson says she's trying to focus on remembering his life, not the accident. A remembrance dinner will be held Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Christian Fellowship Church in Evansville.
More than 280 flags line north St. Joseph Avenue in Vanderburgh County. Family and friends came here to honor 18-year-old Jeremy Tighe, a volunteer firefighter for the McCutchanville Fire Department. A year ago, Tighe went on an emergency run, but never made it back to the fire station.
"Rain, sleet, or snow, Jeremy would've been out on that fire truck, so we decided that we weren't canceling for weather because Jeremy wouldn't have canceled being on the truck whether it was, as you know the weather that night was bad, so we're all here," Jerri Johnson said.
Tighe was a passenger in the fire truck, when the driver lost control, ran off the shoulder of the road, and overturned. Tighe died on the scene. The crash happened less than a half mile from the fire station.
"It gets hard. It makes you want to break down and cry from losing somebody so close and you never know when one of your friends is gonna go," Rachael Watson said.
"It's really hard because like as much as it hurts inside, I've never been more proud of anybody in my entire life. Jeremy, he did things that I never would've thought possible," Jacob Kyte said.
Tighe's mother, Jerri Johnson continues to fight to make this road safer. She says the road is too narrow and the ditch is too steep.
"I don't want any other family to go through what I'm going through. I mean, people say it gets better with time. It doesn't, you learn to deal with the grief. I don't grieve Jeremy every day, I grieve Jeremy every second of every day," Johnson said.
Johnson says she's trying to focus on remembering his life, not the accident. A remembrance dinner will be held Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Christian Fellowship Church in Evansville.
