MURFREESBORO, TENN. - At 2:58PM Monday afternoon (12/23/2024) emergency crews responded to the scene of an injury crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian in the parking lot of LongHorn Steakhouse at The Avenue on Medical Center Parkway. Authorities blocked off the parking lot entrance to allow for a thorough investigation.
MPD Public Information Officer Larry Flowers confirmed, "One woman is in critical condition."
The accident involved a Honda CRV, which had been modified for use as a mail carrier vehicle. Its accelerator and brake pedal are installed on the passenger side.
MPD's Prelimninary Report
The preliminary investigation shows a woman in the driver’s seat had initially reversed out of a parking space to allow a man in a wheelchair to enter the vehicle. The man, who recently suffered a stroke and has no feeling on his left side, was assisted into the SUV by another woman. As the man was getting into the SUV, his foot accidently pressed the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to reverse and spin out of control. The SUV struck a parked vehicle, pinning the woman who was standing outside between the two vehicles. The out-of-control SUV continued to reverse, crashing into two additional parked vehicles before coming to a stop.
First Responders Helped At-The-Scene
Witnesses reported seeing paramedics providing immediate assistance at the scene to a subject on the ground. In fact, personnel with the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services began medical care at-the-scene.
The woman was taken to Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital and later taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center where she is in critical condition. The other woman and the man were not hurt.
Fatal Accident Crash Team investigating
The crash remains under investigation by FACT (Fatal Accident Crash Team). That Murfreesboro Police group investigates fatal crashes and accidents where patients are severely injured.
WGNS spoke with staff at the local restaurant and learned that officers completed their investigation at the scene and around 6:00 o'clock Longhorn was back open.
