Family mourns young mother killed in street racing accident in Nashville

Olivia Taylor, left, will be remembered by her family as “loving.” (Courtesy of Adam Champion)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WKRN) – Family members are mourning the death of a young mother in a car accident over the weekend.

Olivia Taylor, 23, was a passenger in a car that was “apparently racing another vehicle” on Interstate 24 early Sunday morning when the accident occurred.

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

The loss is a reality that has not yet fully arrived.

“It’s tough because, as 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 will miss her, we will really miss her,” he said

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

Investigators told News 2 that charges are expected in connection with the fatal crash, which left the driver in critical condition.

“God is in everything and – you know – even in tragedy, God is still there and that’s a wake-up call for somebody,” Champion said. “It’s not cool to drive on freeways and highways and do what you do at 100 miles an hour… There are other people’s lives at stake. That’s a lesson. That’s a learning opportunity for those who are thinking about it or want to do it.”

The family asked for prayers, adding that Taylor’s two young children were her life. The family is originally from Jackson, but Taylor’s last home was Murfreesboro.

“She dedicated her life to her children. I know she worked two jobs – countless hours to care for her children. You know, it’s hard. Especially because the children are so young, about six and one years old. This is a bitter pill for all of us to swallow.”

Champion said he tried to focus on the light, adding that Taylor was a spice all her own, describing her as a kind of wildcat but also sweet and down to earth.

“She loved God. She loved her parents. She loved her brothers and sisters. She loved her children. She loved her family. She loved everyone around her,” Champion said. “I want her to be remembered with joy and I want her to be remembered with love.”

A family friend has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Taylor’s family with funeral expenses and her two children.