Law enforcement and loved ones unveiled new signage Friday, naming the Nash County bridge on Old Carriage Road after Deputy Jared Allison, who died in the line of duty on Thanksgiving Day 2020.
Allison was trying to pull someone over when he lost control of his cruiser, flipping several times. He died several days later, leaving behind a wife and six-year-old son.
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He was 26 and a veteran.
Friday morning’s bridge dedication, organized by Nash County law enforcement agencies and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, began with a memorial at Edgewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.
Multiple agencies filled the room, along with community members who gathered to remember Allison.
Speaking during the ceremony, Nash County Sherrif Keith Stone said he has never been the same since he got the call that Allison had been in a car accident.
"I tell each one of my members, 'Be proficient with with your firearm. Be proficient with your vehicle, and understand that hey, sometimes it's a life-threatening event to save others,'” said Stone.
Stone called the bridge dedication a "small token of appreciation."
Allison’s parents, Scott and Angela McClellan, said it was humbling to see their son’s memory still alive.
“It's a huge honor,” said Scott McClellan. “We've been humbled by so many acts of gesture or gestures of respect for Jared, and this is yet another one. This is a long-lasting memorial.”
The bridge underwent a recent widening and re-opened above U.S. 64, mere miles away from the site of Allison’s fatal accident on U.S. 301 in Rocky Mount.
Scott and Angela McClellan said grief never gets easier.
“It's tough everyday,” said Scott McClellan. “I still get emotional about it."
His parents attribute their ability to get through largely to the community that has stepped up to help them.
“We have gained so many new family members as a result of losing one,” said Scott McClellan.