HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Sharon Driver walked the same path Monday she believes her 16-year-old son, Joshua, walked in his final moments — and she was not alone.
Joshua Driver was killed near a construction site along West Broad Street in Henrico around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 23. His body was found in a grassy area on the shoulder of the road hours later. Flowers, stuffed animals, and handwritten messages now line that stretch of road in his memory.
Henrico County
Mother mourns teen killed in alleged DUI hit-and-run on West Broad Street
Henrico police say Joshua was hit by 41-year-old John Daniel Bruehl, who is charged with DUI and hit-and-run.
Sharon says the Friday night Joshua was killed, he and his brother had gone out to grab food. His brother said Joshua missed the bus on their way back. Sharon believes he was walking home from the Willow Lawn area when he was hit.
Standing near her son's memorial, Sharon described the weight of returning to that spot.
"Every time I came here, I just felt hurt ... feeling really bad, just feeling upset," Sharon said.
On Monday, Sharon retraced part of the route Joshua walked that night. Walking beside her were two women from Operation Reflect, an organization created to raise awareness and prevent pedestrian tragedies. Both women lost a loved one in a separate pedestrian crash.
Watch: Her son was killed skateboarding home. Now she hands out reflective vests.
Sharon said the walk gave her a chance to process her grief.
"I'm clearing my head of all this depression I'm having, and I'm thinking about me putting myself in Joshua's footsteps, walking," Sharon said.
Joshua was well known throughout the Richmond area for riding GRTC buses. His family says he loved to travel near and far and knew many of the drivers by name.
"Joshua just loved everybody. He loved people. He would always say hello to people, even if he didn't know them," Sharon said.
His love for buses became so well known that GRTC drivers gifted him a reflective safety vest because of how often he rode and walked throughout the city. Sharon says the night he was killed, the vest was in the washer.
The items at Joshua's memorial reflect his personality. Sharon pointed to some of the things she placed there herself.
"Mario was his favorite. He liked Luigi. He liked cookies. I got him cookies and gummies yesterday. And today I put sweet tea on here too because he loves sweet tea," Sharon said.
As Sharon walked Monday, she was surrounded by women who understand her pain better than most. Together, they shared a message they hope no family would ever have to learn firsthand.
Sharon wants Joshua's death to serve as a warning about the dangers of impaired driving.
"It's just so easy to call a cab or a Lyft or an Uber to get home. Every time you get behind that wheel, you make a decision," Sharon said.
While police have charged the suspect, Sharon says no sentence can replace the son she lost.
"My son's life, he can't come back. My son can never come back," Sharon said.
Sharon and Operation Reflect say they plan to continue honoring Joshua by raising awareness about pedestrian safety and impaired driving, in hopes of preventing the kind of tragedy no family should have to endure.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
