The Metro Nashville Police Department has officially charged the driver that struck four pedestrians – killing one and inuring three – in Downtown Nashville’s Broadway district.
It was back on August 1 when 87-year-old driver Thomas Cahill of Bowling Green, Kentucky ran a red light as pedestrians were crossing Broadway. The incident happened around 12:30pm on that Saturday, and fortunately, first responders on routine patrol on Broadway were at the scene before the 911 call even came in.
Sadly, 58-year-old insurance executive Timothy Wedlock of Australia was killed in the accident, while three others were hospitalized. Two of the survivors suffered critical injuries, and are still recovering in the hospital – a month after the accident. The third person that was hit was initially listed in critical but stable condition, and was released from the hospital a couple of days later.
The MNPD conducted a thorough investigation over the past couple of weeks, and earlier today (on September 4), they put out and official press release detailing the findings of the month’s long investigation, and the official charges against Cahill:
“The investigation into the Saturday, August 1, collision at 4th Avenue and Broadway that killed one pedestrian and injured three others has now resulted in the driver being charged with one count of failure to yield resulting in death and three counts of failure to yield resulting in serious injury.
After consultation with the District Attorney’s Office, Thomas Cahill, 87, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was issued the four misdemeanor citations Thursday night in Nashville. His booking date is set for October 1.”
As for the investigation, the MNPD admitted that there’s still some unknowns about the incident – like why Cahill pressed down on the accelerator of his vehicle when he was at a red light.
But the finding of their investigation were enough to bring charges to the man, even though he told officers that he had no recollection of the accident immediately after it occurred:
“The investigation shows that Cahill was traveling south on 4th Avenue North in his Ford Fusion sedan when he came to a stop short of the Broadway intersection. The traffic signal was red for 4th Avenue and pedestrians had the walk signal to cross the street. For an unknown reason, Cahill pressed the accelerator, went through the intersection against the red light, and struck the pedestrians.
Cahill brought the car to a controlled stop on 4th Avenue South and got out of the vehicle under his own power. He was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was discharged a few days later. Cahill has told officers that he has no recollection of what occurred.”
Ever since the tragic incident occurred, there’s been plenty of conversation about making Broadway a pedestrian-only entertainment district.
Because Broadway is technically a roadway that is owned by the state, Metro Nashville and the Tennessee Department of Transportation would have to work in tandem to close the area off to traffic. TDOT has already started having conversations about doing so.
Though that’s great news, it’s sad that a tragedy had to happen to jumpstart that move. Many have pointed towards areas like New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, or Memphis’ Beale Street as examples of downtown areas that have fully embraced going vehicle-free.
