NASHVILLE, TN — Investigators are still working to determine what led to a deadly Saturday afternoon crash at 4th Avenue South and Broadway. Police say an 87-year-old driver traveling south on 4th Avenue entered the intersection against a red light and struck pedestrians in the crosswalk. One person died from the collision, and three others were seriously hurt. The driver, Thomas Cahill of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was behind the wheel of a 2013 Ford Fusion. Authorities said the case remains open as officers review the circumstances surrounding the wreck.
Victim And Injuries
Police identified the person who died as Timothy Wedlock, 58, of Australia. Another pedestrian, a 44-year-old Jacksonville, Florida man, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition. A 21-year-old woman from Knoxville suffered injuries that were described as non-life-threatening. The fourth pedestrian, a 58-year-old woman from Parsons, Tennessee, was listed in critical but stable condition at Vanderbilt. The crash happened in a busy downtown area where drivers and pedestrians share the same intersection, and the impact involved people who were lawfully in the crosswalk when the vehicle entered it.
Officials have not released further details on the pedestrians’ movements before the collision. The information provided so far focuses on the severity of the injuries and the locations where the victims were treated. The death and the three serious injuries made the Saturday afternoon crash one of the most severe downtown traffic incidents reported in the area this week.
Driver And Passengers
Cahill was not alone in the car. His 90-year-old wife was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, along with Cahill himself. A caregiver for the wife was riding in the backseat and was not hurt. According to the report, the caregiver was interviewed by Traffic Division investigators after the crash. She said she had been on her phone in the backseat when she looked up after hearing the pedestrians being struck. Police said that statement was part of the continuing effort to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the collision.
Investigators have not said whether any mechanical problem, medical issue or distraction caused Cahill to enter the intersection against the signal. For now, the crash remains centered on the driver’s actions at the Broadway crossing and the injuries that followed. The vehicle involved was a 2013 Ford Fusion.
No Impairment Signs
Police said Cahill did not show indicators of impairment. That detail narrows the focus of the investigation to other possible causes, though officials have not identified a final explanation. The report does not say whether any charges have been filed, and investigators have not announced a conclusion. Instead, officers are continuing to collect information about the moment the vehicle entered the intersection and the reaction of the pedestrians who were hit.
Because the crash involved a fatality and multiple serious injuries, police are treating the case as a significant traffic investigation. The location at 4th Avenue South and Broadway is a major downtown intersection, and the wreck disrupted what began as a Saturday afternoon traffic encounter. Officials have not provided a timetable for when the investigation will be completed.
What Comes Next
The next step is for investigators to finish reviewing witness accounts and other available evidence tied to the collision. The caregiver’s statement, the driver’s condition and the absence of impairment signs are all part of that review. Police are still trying to determine the cause of Cahill’s actions and how the vehicle moved through the red light into the crosswalk.
For now, the official record shows one death, three pedestrians injured, and two people in the vehicle hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash also left questions about the circumstances at a downtown Nashville intersection that is heavily traveled by both cars and foot traffic. Authorities have not released any additional updates beyond the ongoing investigation.
