Uber driver killed in Lawrence crash remembered as ‘a son who made parents proud’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A candlelight vigil scheduled for Thursday night will honor a Colts linebacker and two local Uber drivers killed in crashes earlier this month.
The two Uber drivers died in unrelated crashes on the same Sunday morning. Police believe alcohol played a role in both crashes.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Uber’s Midwest general manager, and Colts General Manager Chris Ballard were scheduled to attend the vigil at Guion Creek Middle School.
Police said a drunk driver on Interstate 70 killed Uber driver Jeff Monroe and his passenger, Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson, around 4 a.m. on Feb. 4.
Lawrence detectives said a separate, head-on crash that same morning killed Uber driver Blair Edmonds and the other driver, Jimmy Brown. Officers are still waiting on test results, but they said police smelled alcohol in Brown’s car and saw alcohol containers near the car.
Blair planned to watch the Super Bowl with his dad, Leo Best, but that morning, Best got a call from the coroner.
“They told me that Blair had been in a car accident while Uber driving. I then replied, ‘Well is he all right?’ They told me, to their deepest regret, they’re sorry but he didn’t make it,” Best said.
A group of fellow Uber drivers are selling $10 stickers to raise money for the families of Blair and Monroe.
Blair’s mother, Suzanne Edmonds, has asked people to donate to MADD in hopes of saving someone else from feeling her pain.
“He genuinely just had a spirit that was always happy. I wish I could be like that,” Edmonds said.
Family members describe Blair as happy-go-lucky: an artist, a video gamer, a basketball fan and a son who made his parents proud.
“It’s a constant reminder to all of us as human beings to how fast and how quick life can be lost,” Best said.
Blair was the nephew of former Pacers player Travis Best. The entire family is urging people to avoid drinking and driving.