My sister Sarah was tragically killed on October 26, 2023, by a hit-and-run driver named DeAndrea Clark. She was sitting at a red light at the intersection of Kirby Parkway and Highway 385 in Memphis, Tennessee when Clark, driving 85 mph, ran the red light and slammed into her vehicle. Sarah was trapped in her car, dying, while DeAndrea fled the scene. He didn’t call 911. He didn’t try to help. He left her there.

DeAndrea was charged with the following:

1. Driving while license suspended/revoked/cancelled  
2. Duty to give information or render aid  
3. Failure to exercise due care  
4. Leaving the scene of an accident involving death  
5. Vehicular homicide  
6. Violation of financial law (no insurance)

It took one month and nine days for him to be arrested—on December 5, 2023, by the Tennessee U.S. Marshal Service. Despite the severity of his actions, Judge Shelia Renfroe (General Sessions Court, Division 9) released him on his own recognizance on January 23, 2024, pending indictment in Criminal Court. To this day, DeAndrea Clark remains free.

UPDATE: While out on bond, Clark violated the terms of his release, received another hearing, and was granted another bond. He didn’t pay it, so he remained in jail. He is now scheduled to plead guilty on February 13, 2026, and there is a possibility that his time in jail for violating bond will be counted as time served toward the vehicular homicide charge.

This is not justice. This is why we need Sarah’s Law—to ensure that anyone who flees the scene of a fatal crash is held in custody until trial.

This is not an isolated incident. In 2023, Tennessee recorded 1,319 traffic fatalities (source: TN Department of Homeland Security). Many of these involved drivers who fled the scene or were released on their own recognizance or bail before trial. This lack of immediate accountability encourages reckless behavior and delays justice for victims and families.

What Is Sarah’s Law?

Sarah’s Law would require that anyone charged with vehicular homicide who flees the scene be held in custody until trial—no release on their own recognizance, no eligibility for bail.

By implementing this law, we aim to:

- Discourage individuals from fleeing the scene of fatal crashes. 
- Ensure justice is served promptly and fairly.
- Make our roads safer by sending a clear message: taking a life and running from it will not go unpunished.

How You Can Help

Please join us in advocating for Sarah’s Law, named in honor of my sister whose life was cut short by someone else’s recklessness. Your signature can help bring about this much-needed change and protect innocent lives from avoidable tragedies like what happened to Sarah.

Sign the petition. Share the petition. Speak Sarah’s name.  

Thank you for standing with us.

— Sandra, Sarah’s sister