24/7 Movement Honors Memory of Couple Killed in 2022 Christmas Crash
Brittany and Dustin Dillard, the couple killed in a 2022 Christmas Night crash in Bradley County. (Courtesy: 24/7 Movement)
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF)- Christmas Night 2022 was a tragic night for many in Bradley County and adjacent communities.
Husband and wife Brittany and Dustin Dillard were killed when a drunk driver, Patricke Conley, crashed into them head on Highway 64.
Conley pleaded guilty to various charges including a DUI and vehicular homicide, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in November.
In the midst of tragedy however, there were miracles, three of them to be exact, and a message family and friends say will save lives.
The loss of Brittany and Dustin Dillard is felt by all who loved them including Randy Bonner, who has known their family for over 20 years.
Brittany was a ninth grade science teacher at Walker Valley High School.
Dustin relished being a dad.
One of those friends who have known the Dillards for 20 years, Randy Bonner, recalled, “Brittany and Dustin Dillard were incredible people. They loved their family, they loved their community, they loved the Lord… She was a rockstar, she was loved by her peers and by her students… Dustin was the kind of person when he walked into a room, he never greeted a stranger.”
Brittany and Dustin died instantly in the crash.
With them that fateful Christmas night were their three young boys.
Bonner recalled, “Two of the boys were not expected to live through the night but by God’s grace, they did.”
Bonner says their survival was thanks to the care placed by their parents in ensuring their safety.
He said, “The three boys are with us today in part because the car seats they were in. They were properly installed and they were in there correctly.”
Their survival inspired the founding of the non-profit The 24/7 Movement.
Bonner says that the main mission of The 24/7 Movement is to make sure that everyone who drives, arrives to their destination alive.
The name of the organization is in honor of the ages of the three Dillard boys at the time of the crash (2,4, and 7).
He said, “When you get in your vehicle, then you make choices in your life, but also in other people’s lives that you pass on the roadway.”
They are doing programs in schools in our areas, child seatbelt safety checks, and numerous other initiatives to promote safe driving habits.
They are also asking people to take two pledges to practice safe driving habits, and prevent others from getting behind the wheel when they are not safe to drive.
Bonner said, “We want to challenge everybody to go and look at those. It is a great conversation to have around the dinner table with your teenage drivers.”
It is also worth noting that the Tennessee State Legislature passed “Dillard’s Law” in honor of the family which requires those guilty of killing parents in a DUI crash, to pay child support.
Bonner also told us that at Walker Valley High School, an organization has been created to support every student who was taught by Brittany Dillard called “Brittany’s Kids”, through her final class’s graduation in 2026.
