JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Nearly a year after their son died in a crash, the parents of 16-year-old volunteer firefighter Chevy Gall are working to carry forward an idea he started, hoping it will lead to changes that could save lives.
Gall was a student at Union High School and served as a volunteer firefighter with the Beaufort-Leslie Fire Protection District. He died in April 2025 after a crash that occurred while he was responding to a water rescue call.
Months earlier, his best friend and fellow volunteer firefighter, 16-year-old Isaac Lashley, had also died in a crash.
Chevy’s mother, Sarah Gall, said the loss had a deep impact on her son and motivated him to start thinking about ways to make roads safer for young drivers.
“He goes, ‘Did you know there’s 32 states that require driver’s education? Missouri is not one of them,’” Sarah Gall said. “And I said, ‘I did not know that.’ And he goes, ‘That’s not good.’ And I said, ‘I know… be the change.’”
After Chevy’s death, his parents discovered how serious he had been about the idea.
“We were going through his phone to pick out funeral songs,” Gall said. “In there is a note section, and I opened it, and it was his elevator speech that he wanted to take to our representatives about bringing driver’s education back to Missouri.”
Now, Chevy’s parents are bringing that message directly to lawmakers themselves.
Earlier this week, they traveled to the Missouri State Capitol to meet with State Representative Rodger Reedy, a Republican from Windsor who has spent the past six years working to pass legislation related to driver education. House Bill 2195 would allow Missouri public schools to include driver safety education within existing classroom lessons during the school year without adding costs for school districts.
Last week, Reedy said the bill received unanimous approval from the House Education Committee.
“I presented it to the Education Committee here at the House. It was passed out, do pass with a unanimous vote,” Reedy said. “Missouri is only one of 13 states that does not have driver’s education in the school districts.”
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, car crashes remain the leading cause of teen deaths in Missouri. In 2023, teen-driver-involved traffic crashes killed 133 people.
Supporters believe that teaching students the rules of the road earlier could help reduce crashes and improve driver safety.
“I just think it’s so important and it would make our roads safer,” Reedy said. “But the main thing, it would save lives.”
When the Galls met with Reedy at the Capitol, they expected only a brief conversation. Instead, the meeting turned into hours of discussions with lawmakers about the proposal.
“Our 30-minute meeting with Mr. Reedy turned into a whole evening of walking around the Capitol talking to our representatives about, ‘Can you back this bill?’” Gall said.
For the family, the effort goes beyond legislation. It is about continuing the work their son had already started.
“Just the overwhelming amount of support is… You can’t even put it into words. They’re hearing him,” said Chevy’s mother.
Gall said she hopes the bill could someday carry Chevy’s name.
“That would be amazing,” she said. “Attach the young firefighter to it with his initiative of ‘we need better streets, better drivers…’ my boy would live.”
The bill still has several steps to go before it could become law. Chevy’s parents say they plan to return to the state capitol soon to continue advocating for the legislation, hoping their son’s idea will help protect future young drivers.