RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — An honorary street sign to remember a Richmond teen killed in a car crash last November has been unveiled.
City leaders, loved ones and the community gathered at the intersection of West 22nd Street and Riverside Drive on Saturday, July 30 as the 500 and 600 blocks of West 22nd Street were designated as “Josie S. Cox Way.”
“This has made me feel a lot better. I’m still dealing with a lot,” Claudia Jackson, Cox’s mother, said. “It gives me hope. It lets everyone know that she was very, very important.”
Cox, a Huguenot High School senior, was killed at 17 years old when she died in a single car crash along Semmes Avenue on Nov. 26, 2022. She was a passenger in the car.
Richmond Police later arrested and charged the driver, a juvenile male, with reckless driving, involuntary manslaughter and driving without a license. Police said speed was a factor in the crash.
Andrea Adames, Jackson’s best friend, attended the street sign designation ceremony over the weekend.
“This whole thing has been really hard for the family, so the street naming kind of felt like justice on Josie’s behalf,” Adames said. “So, family as a whole is really grateful.”
Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch was also at the ceremony. The councilwoman, who is a staunch supporter for safe driving, spearheaded the honorary street sign.
“The rest of the community needs to go out and do the good things, and be the bright light that she was. But also to slow down on our streets so that her life was not given in vain,” Lynch said during the ceremony.
Jasmine Miles, who is close to the family, said Cox’s loved ones are finding comfort in knowing that the teen’s name and caring spirit will live on forever.
“I think it’s important to bring awareness to situations like this. This is major,” Miles said.
Jackson said she recognizes the efforts of the City to bring attention to dangerous driving, but more needs to be done.
“Work on the speed and the traffic in this area, because there are a lot of accidents on Semmes,” she said.
