NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Recordings of the 911 calls made after an SUV slammed into a pedal tavern in downtown Nashville were released Monday, and they capture callers pleading for ambulances as riders lay hurt in the street.
The crash happened on the night of Oct. 22 on Demonbreun Street in the Gulch. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, a Toyota RAV4 heading west struck the back of the pedal tavern near 1033 Demonbreun. The 13 riders were all visitors, ranging in age from 40 to 67, who had come from as far as India as well as Illinois, Missouri and Louisiana. Ten of them went to hospitals that night.
The calls began at 8:30 p.m. and kept coming for about four minutes. A witness told a dispatcher that roughly 10 people were down and that the SUV seemed to be leaking fluid. The dispatcher told the caller to keep the injured still and calm and not to give them food or water. Another caller said nearly everyone had been knocked to the ground. The SUV driver called 911 himself to report that he had hit the vehicle.
Police said the driver blamed the crash on being distracted by his radio. He stayed at the scene, was not hurt, cooperated and showed no signs of impairment. Officers cited him, and police said no one suffered serious injuries.
The case is not closed. Police are reviewing video from the pedal tavern and surveillance cameras and will then ask the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office to decide whether more charges fit.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell has said the crash raises fresh safety questions about pedal taverns and other party vehicles downtown. City rules for the vehicles set permit fees and routes but say nothing about safety gear for riders.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Traffic News
