Fighting back tears, Tammy Phillips recalled some of the precious memories with her fiancee Willie Lawrence.  Lawrence was killed a year ago in a 5-car accident at the intersection of Buena Vista and Floyd Roads.

“Today I just been thinking about Buck, the memories of him, the accident and how it happened and I just can’t believe its been a year,” Phillips said.

Family and friends joined together in song and prayer at Monday night’s candlelight vigil. Phillips tells us even though a year has passed, she still can’t find the strength to drive through  that same treacherous intersection at Buena Vista Road.

“They need to have more police up there because its real congested up there on Saturday nights,” Phillips said. 

Lawrence’s death was no ordinary traffic accident. Two Fort Benning soldiers were driving at high rate of speed under the influence of drugs and alcohol when they caused this accident. Both were convicted. 

Recent accident reports released by the city traffic department show area interstate entrance and exits as high volume traffic areas. Columbus traffic engineering manager Ron Hamlett says the data collected is used to scope out problem areas.

“We want to expend out resources where the problems, the highest problems and if you just look through some of these and we find that a lot of these we have projects going on already.” 

Reports just released to us show that there were about 7,500 traffic accidents last year and 8,100 in 2011.

Tammy Phillips is looking forward to traffic improvements, but also cautions those who might make the wrong decision before getting behind the wheel. 

“Alcohol can cause death, a car is a weapon just like a gun is weapon.”

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