It’s been a year since 16 year old Allyn Foster was killed in a wreck on Highway 70 West just outside Crossville.  Initially, the reports indicated that young Foster had pulled out in front of a vehicle driven by Angela Rush.  Rush’s vehicle slammed into Allyn’s car killing him instantly.  Case closed.

But Allyn’s family knew there had to be more to the story.  Allyn’s father, Ralph, knew Allyn would not simply pull out in front of oncoming traffic.  And so began a very long and stressful journey for Allyn’s family to prove there had to be more.

On the morning of April 22nd, 2014 – young Allyn Foster was heading out to CCHS where he was a sophomore.   As Allyn drove his blue P T Cruiser from Dillon Street onto Highway 70 West heading east toward Crossville, he was hit and killed by an SUV driven by 35 year old Angela Rush of Pinewood Drive – one block from Allyn’s home.

It was 7 o’clock in the morning, and Ms. Rush was taking her two children to school at Pleasant Hill.  All indications were that Allyn Foster pulled out in front of Rush’s vehicle and was T-boned.  The accident scene was cleaned as soon as possible to allow early morning traffic through.  No charges were filed at the time but when the police report was released a few weeks afterwards, the Fosters noticed something very wrong.  The initial report indicated that Ms. Rush was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs at the time of the wreck.  That’s when the Foster family began questioning everyone they could get a hold of about the tragedy that took their son from them.  Mr. Foster repeatedly asked the local police about the wreck and why Ms. Rush was not arrested for being intoxicated.  No answers were given to the satisfaction of the family.  After a year of digging and determination, now some justice may be served for Allyn.

The Fosters took their plight to social media, the District Attorney’s office, the Crossville Police Department,  lawyers and yes, even this reporter – to get to the truth.  What really happened on that rainy April morning?  Part of the answer may come  from the authorities’ own photographs of the wreck scene.  One glaring image from the pictures shows that the crash did not occur in Ms. Rush’s lane but  in Allyn’s lane. (Dillon Street intersects Highway 70 on the north side of the highway which is on the opposite side of the road from where Foster’s car came to rest.)  Had young Foster pulled out in front of Ms. Rush, the crash should have occurred in her lane.

The Foster family felt strongly that Ms. Rush’s blood/alcohol level could have played a very important role in the wreck.  According to the toxicology reports, Rush’s blood/alcohol level was slightly below the .08 legal intoxication limit two hours after the wreck.  However, when the formula was applied to calculate her blood/alcohol level at the time of the wreck, it would have been above the legal limit.

A year has gone by since that crash on Highway 70 but on April 20 of this year, District Attorney’s Investigator Randal Slayton signed warrants for Rush’s arrest.  Angela Renee Rush is now charged with driving under the influence and reckless endangerment. She was arrested April 20, just two days short of one year since the crash occurred on Hwy. 70 W at the intersection of Dillon St.  

How does Ms Rush’s blood/alcohol level factor into the crash that took Allyn Foster’s life?  Especially if he did indeed pull out in front of her?  The Foster’s claim that evidence from the photographs of the accident scene show the collision occurred in Foster’s lane and should be explained.  Some have concluded from observations that there may have been a vehicle in front of the Rush vehicle travelling west bound on Highway 70 W slowing down to turn into Dillon Street as young Foster waited to proceed onto Highway 70 heading east.  If this was the case, Foster may have thought he could safely pull out onto the highway as oncoming traffic was slowing for the vehicle to turn into Dillon St.  This would explain the crash happening in the east bound lane if Ms. Rush drove around the turning vehicle – and subsequently, crashed into Foster’s vehicle in his east bound lane of highway 70.

Unfortunately, there was not a thorough accident reconstruction investigation performed at the time.   The investigating officer resigned from the Police Department the day after the wreck in what was explained as a planned departure to pursue a business venture.  The accident reconstruction officer has since left the Police Department to take another position out of town.  The Tennessee Highway Patrol was not called in to investigate the wreck, which would be normal protocol when a wreck happens on a state highway, and the District Attorney’s office at the time stalled every effort on the part of the Foster family seeking a more thorough investigation into the deadly crash.   There simply has not be a great deal of cooperation from law enforcement agencies in getting to the truth of what happened on April 22, 2014.  The Foster family has asserted the only facts from the scene are that their son was killed in a car wreck that he would have avoided at all costs, the collision was in his lane of highway 70, and the driver of the SUV, Angela Rush, was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs at the time of the wreck – while taking her two children, 11 and 8 years old,  to school.  Bond for Ms. Rush was set at $6,000 and she is to appear in Cumberland County General Sessions Court on May 11.