December 11, 2023 – Metro Nashville Police reported several car accidents over the weekend. The four victims in the fatal crashes have been identified.
A head-on collision at 3:50 p.m. Friday in the 1500 block of Springfield Highway killed one of the drivers and caused the roadway to be closed into the 9 p.m. hour as the MNPD’s Fatal Crash Team conducted the on-scene investigation.
Officers determined that a Volkswagen Beetle, driven by Jurgis Juodenas, 75, of Greenbrier, was traveling north on Springfield Highway when a southbound Kia Sorento, driven by Charles Holt, 58, of Springfield, crossed into the northbound lane and collided with the Volkswagen. Juodenas died at the scene. Holt received minor injuries and was not transported. Both men were wearing their seatbelts.
Holt told officers that the actions of another vehicle caused him to swerve, and that he didn’t remember anything afterward. Why the Kia crossed into the Volkswagen’s path remains under investigation. At the conclusion, officers will staff their findings with the District Attorney’s Office.
Later Friday night around 8pm, a motorcyclist was killed on Dickerson Pike at Oak Valley Drive.
He was been identified as Demetrius Wade, 42, of Franklin. The preliminary investigation indicates Wade was traveling southbound on his Suzuki Hayabusa at a high rate of speed when he struck the front end of a Nissan Altima pulling out of a restaurant parking lot.
Wade was transported to Skyline Medical Center where he died.
There were no signs of impairment on part of either driver. Wade was wearing a DOT approved helmet at the time of the crash.
A female driver of a Toyota Corolla was killed on Friday around 8:20 pm in a single-vehicle crash on Charlotte Avenue at 23rd Avenue North. The preliminary investigation indicates the Corolla, for reasons unknown, left its lane of travel, went over a curb and struck a utility pole.
The speedometer revealed the car struck the pole at approximately 80 miles per hour.
The driver, tentatively identified as a 31-year-old Caitlin J. Morgan, was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she died.
There were no signs of impairment at the scene.
On Saturday, a woman was killed in a two-vehicle collision at 11 p.m. at the intersection of Gallatin Pike and Chester Avenue. She has been identified as Tayla Tipton, 34, of Nashville.
The preliminary investigation shows that Tipton was traveling south on Gallatin Pike in a Jeep Wrangler when she attempted to turn left onto Chester Avenue. The driver of a northbound Lexus SUV reported that he could not avoid colliding with the Jeep Tipton was transported to Skyline Medical Center where she died. The other driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained minor injuries.
According to witnesses, the northbound and southbound drivers on Gallatin Pike had the green light at the intersection. There is no left turn arrow. The driver of the Lexus showed no signs of impairment.
The preliminary contributing factor for this fatal crash appears to be failure to yield the right of way on the part of Tipton.
Source: MNPD
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