In September 2021, my 19-year-old son, James “Jimmy” Bardsley Jr., was hit and killed while riding his motorcycle home from work. The driver fled the scene and evaded capture for 29 hours.

Jimmy died in the middle of the road, with strangers.

The man who caused his death served just a few short months in jail. Under current Tennessee law, there is no enhanced penalty when someone is killed in a hit-and-run. This legal loophole actively incentivizes drivers to flee—often drunk, impaired, or unlicensed—because the punishment for leaving the scene is less than the potential consequences of staying.

We must change this.

The legal process took over two years to complete. Our emotional and difficult wait for “justice” was longer than his actual time served. 

Tennessee has seen a shocking rise in fatal hit-and-run crashes:

🚨 Shelby County reported 164 from 2018–2022

🚨 Davidson County reported 85 in that same period

🚨 The state has no mandatory minimums for these offenses

Other states have acted. Florida’s Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act mandates a minimum 4-year prison sentence, resulting in a measurable 13% drop in hit-and-run fatalities. South Carolina allows for up to 25 years behind bars.

Tennessee can and must do better.

I’m calling on the Tennessee legislature to pass the James Bardsley Life Protection Act, which would:

✅ Establish a separate offense for fatal hit-and-runs

✅ Create mandatory minimum sentences for these crimes

✅ Remove incentives to flee by increasing penalties

✅ Fund public education campaigns about the legal and moral duty to stay at the scene

Jimmy was a vibrant, kind, hard-working young man with a full life ahead of him. His memory deserves more than a loophole.

Please help us honor him and protect others by signing this petition. Together, we can change the law—and save lives.