A new Tennessee law, known as “Jimmy’s Law,” has increased the penalties for drivers who flee the scene of a fatal crash.
The James Bardsley Life Protection Act, which became law July 1, upgrades the offense from a Class E to a Class D felony. Those convicted now face a mandatory minimum of one year in prison, alongside fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
The legislation is named after James “Jimmy” Bardsley, who died in a 2021 hit-and-run in Smyrna, and was championed by his mother, Kim Webb, after she discovered there was no mandatory minimum sentence for fleeing drivers…