MURFREESBORO, TENN. – Cathy Pendergrass, 61, of Warrenton, Virginia, has tragically died after sustaining critical injuries in a freak parking lot accident at LongHorn Steakhouse in The Avenue shopping center. The incident occurred on Monday, December 23, 2024, at approximately 2:58 PM. Pendergrass passed away on December 28 while being treated at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
The Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) and its Fatal Accident Crash Team (FACT) are continuing to investigate the unusual circumstances of the crash. According to authorities, the accident involved a Honda CRV that had been modified for mail delivery, with the accelerator and brake pedals installed on the passenger side.
Preliminary reports indicate that the woman driving the SUV had reversed out of a parking space to assist a man in a wheelchair, who had recently suffered a stroke and has no feeling on his left side. As he was being helped into the vehicle by another woman, his foot accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the vehicle to reverse out of control.
The SUV struck a parked vehicle, pinning Cathy Pendergrass between the two cars. The out-of-control vehicle then collided with two additional parked cars before finally coming to a stop. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing first responders from the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services providing immediate medical assistance to Pendergrass.
She was initially taken to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital and later transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center in critical condition. Despite extensive medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries five days later.
Neither the man nor the other woman assisting him were injured in the incident.
The FACT team continues to investigate the tragic accident, which has left the community in shock. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Murfreesboro Police.
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