Smyrna, TN - A tragic accident that claimed the life of a local Boy Scout will serve as a poignant reminder during an upcoming sobriety checkpoint in Smyrna. At 10:00 o'clock Friday night until midnight on April 25, 2025, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Rutherford County Traffic Safety Task Force will conduct a checkpoint at the intersection of Chicken Pike and Nissan Boulevard.

The initiative is dedicated to the memory of Clifton Braunwalder of Lascassas. Clifton was 13-years old when he was struck and killed while changing a tire on his family’s car on Interstate 24 near the Sam Ridley Parkway exit. That was April 10, 2014...11-years-ago. The driver, who police confirmed was impaired, fled the scene. Clifton would have been 24 now. Think of all that he has missed, along with his friends, family and loved-ones as well. 

Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Shawn Boyd emphasized the purpose of the checkpoint. “In Clifton’s memory, our emphasis will be removing impaired drivers from the roadways."

Officers from the Rutherford County Traffic Safety Task Force will join efforts to honor the life of Clifton and raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving. That's in Smyrna at the intersection of Chicken Pike and Nissan Boulevard from 10:00PM to midnight on Friday night, Aug. 25, 2025.