Woman killed after vehicle collides into Jackson home
UPDATE (9/13/23): According to a crash report from the Jackson Police Department, tests revealed Melecia Cherry had both marijuana and cocaine in her system, as well as a blood alcohol content of .12. An investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling at about 94 mph at the time of the crash. The report indicates that based on evidence, it’s believed Cherry was “drag racing” with another vehicle, as an abandoned vehicle was located near the scene, which was also determined to have been going in excess of 50 mph over the speed limit. The driver of that vehicle, Lorenzo Qawwi, was later identified and faced a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. Investigators determined neither vehicle made contact with one another. Following the incident, the house that received damage has been demolished. Click here to view the full report.
EARLIER STORY:
JACKSON, Tenn. — Jackson police are calling it a tragic crash that’s left a woman dead and a house severely damaged.
The people who live at this house on the corner of North Highland and Lambuth Boulevard sent us these pictures, showing a car that plowed into the front of their home around 1:30 Thursday morning.
The family inside the house is ok, but police confirm one of the people in the vehicle died.
The family has identified her as Melecia Cherry.
“She was born like one of my own,” said Delores Westbrook, Cherry’s grandmother.
They say she and her boyfriend were driving south on North Highland after a night out, when she lost control of the vehicle.
“For all we know, she was driving at a high speed, coming around the deep curve and couldn’t catch control of the car,” Cherry’s brother Keyshawn Dirkans said.
The vehicle hit the house, then the car parked in the driveway, before rolling down the hill.
Police say Cherry was pronounced dead on scene. However, her boyfriend was able to walk away from the crash.
“I’m going to miss her terribly, but who is really going to miss her the most… she has two children, a son and a daughter, eleven and four,” Westbrook said.
The support for the carport has fallen, and there are concerns the house might not be livable anymore. We did get in contact with the Red Cross to see if we can get the family somewhere to stay in the meantime.
Jackson police told us they couldn’t release the full crash report because it was still under investigation.
If you have any information, please call the Jackson Police Department at (731) 425-8400.
