HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Nearly 40 years ago, Kim Nunn lost her brother after a tragic accident on the Twin Bridges. As an early morning backup on the bridge proved; it’s a tragedy that stays with her to this day.
“It gets pretty congested and it gets hard for people to to want to come in here from having to fight the traffic that’s there,” says Nunn.
Nunn, who owns Pizza Time in Henderson, traffic back-ups on the Highway 41 strip can create a headache for her and her employees. But accidents can also create heartache. Nunn tragically lost her brother, Troy Flahardy, in an accident on the bridge in 1985.
“He was working on his car on the bridge. It had broke down,” adds Nunn, “vehicle hit him in the rear because people drive too fast on the bridge and hit threw him over into the water.”
Nunn says her brother survived the impact, saying witnesses heard him calling for help from the river. Eventually, the water overtook him and Flahardy’s body was found on the Evansville riverfront more than a month later.
“It’s hard, even though it’s been so many years, I love my brother and I miss him,” says Nunn. “And I really didn’t get to have a life with my brother because of the accident.”
Decades later, the Twin Bridges are still no strangers to accidents. According to Henderson County dispatch, in a 12 month span, crews responded to more than 600 incidents ranging from motorist assists to reckless driving. The same 12 month span also saw 12 vehicle accidents with injury, and 38 without.
From tragedy comes awareness. Shortly after her brother’s death, Nunn and her family started a petition to install some sort of assistance feature on the bridge. Initially, Nunn hoped for an emergency phone or life jacket station, but later, flashing warning signs were installed on both north and southbound lanes.
“That’s there because Troy Joseph Flahardy was trying to fix his car on the bridge and somebody hit him.”
Nunn hopes by sharing her story, others will be reminded to slow down and look out for other drivers.
“My plead is for people to know my story ,the loss that my family endured, so that no family has to endure what we endured that day,” explains Nunn.
Nunn says driving to and from work each day, passing the warning signs, takes her back to that tragic day. She says she hopes for increased police patrols and even more lights to try and make the Twin Bridges safer.