HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1453
By Doggett
A RESOLUTION to honor and commend Lilly Baker for her act of
heroism.
WHEREAS, we are honored to recognize those selfless individuals whose quick thinking and decisive actions have saved the lives of those in peril; and WHEREAS, Lilly Baker, an eighteen-year-old high school senior from Athens, Alabama,
become a hero of the highest order when she bravely saved a woman in a wheelchair from being hit by a train in Ardmore; and WHEREAS, while driving on Austin Whitt Road through Ardmore in Giles County on
February 5, 2024, Lilly Baker noticed an older woman struggling to cross the railroad tracks with her wheelchair; and WHEREAS, after witnessing several cars pass without stopping, Ms. Baker pulled up
beside the tracks to see if she could help; shortly after reaching the woman, the two women heard the sound of a train barreling toward them; and WHEREAS, Lilly Baker grabbed the woman from behind her arms and tried to pick her up and walk with her to safety, but she fell in the tracks herself; she tried a second time, but again they fell; and WHEREAS, knowing the engineer would not be able to stop the train in time, and with only seconds to act, she grabbed the woman's jacket and dragged her to safety, narrowly saving the woman's life—and her own; and WHEREAS, an employee of the railroad company, CSX, later told Ms. Baker that the train was within eighteen inches away from hitting them both; and WHEREAS, "I think it's one of the bravest acts I've ever seen," said Police Chief Jereme Robison of the Ardmore Police Department, who has been an officer for over twenty years; and WHEREAS, Lilly Baker's quick thinking under pressure and compassionate action are a testament to her character and compassion; and HJR1453
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WHEREAS, Ms. Baker plans to attend college for nursing after graduating from high school, a commendable goal for such an admirable young woman; and WHEREAS, Lilly Baker's life-saving actions were sure and decisive in the midst of a serious emergency; her commitment to aiding those in need can only be categorized as
outstanding, and she deserves proper recognition for her heroism on that fateful day; now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
THIRTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Lilly Baker for her outstanding demonstration of
courage, resourcefulness, and presence of mind, as we join with the citizens of Tennessee in
expressing our admiration and appreciation for her heroic actions.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.
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