KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Just over a month after their son was killed in a head-on crash on Chapman Highway, Wendy and DJ Corcoran will be guests at the State of the Union address in Washington D.C Tuesday evening.
The Corcorans were invited to attend the speech as guests of Senator Marsha Blackburn and Congressman Tim Burchett. Their son, Pierce, was killed on Dec. 29 in a car crash on Chapman Highway. The man charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the crash was in the country illegally and driving without a license.
"That they are going to build the wall, that would be great news to hear," said DJ Corcoran. "Hopefully our words will fall on the ears of some of those people who are opposing the wall and opposing what we stand for."
Pierce Corcoran’s story has caught the attention of lawmakers across the nation and is being used as an example of why some say the country needs more border security.
It’s not the Corcoran's first trip to Washington since the crash.
Last month they met with Vice President Pence and spoke with lawmakers outside the capital. They’ve met with a handful of Republicans, but say they still want to meet with Democrats.
"Honoring him, honoring his memory and hoping that there’s changes made so that other families don’t have to go through this," said Wendy Corcoran. "We miss him terribly every day. It’s like he disappeared from our lives."
The Corcorans don’t yet know if President Trump will mention Pierce’s name in his speech Tuesday night.