Friends, coworkers share memories of Lexington woman killed in vehicle-pedestrian crash

KENTUCKY. (WKYT) - A Lexington woman is dead after a car hit her Friday evening in Bowling Green.

22-year-old Daishyera Garner was a student at Western Kentucky University. Police said she died after being hit while walking near Campbell Lane.

Garner leaves behind a community of friends and family who are now mourning.

“I remember from the very first day that I met her, you could just feel this sense of love from her. She filled the room with love and peace,” said Edith Cruz, Garner’s friend and former classmate.

Garner graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 2019. She continued her education at WKU, with hopes of becoming a fashion designer.

Garner was set to graduate from WKU in the spring of 2024.

“I joke around and say that, ‘you still had to make my wedding dress,’” Cruz said. “She was a fashion designer and I told her, I was like, ‘if I ever get married, I want you to design my wedding dress,’ and I still think to myself, I still had many more memories to create with her.”

Garner’s coworkers said they are also trying to navigate this loss.

For Reed Murphy, the circumstances surrounding Garner’s death take on a different meaning.

“Back in 2015, I was also hit by a car when I was crossing the street. I know what its like to recover from something, so for her not to make it, its just heartbreaking,” Murphy said.

In their time of mourning, both Cruz and Murphy said its time for change.

“In my heart, its like, why did we let it happen? What precautions are gonna come after this?” Cruz said.

“I think that’s what needs to happen or hopefully will happen after this incident, that there will be some kind of public awareness to bring about for the safety of pedestrians simply trying to get home,” Murphy added.

Cruz said she will always aspire to be like Garner because she always showed the world that you can be yourself no matter what.

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