On Wednesday night, a car fatally struck a 45-year-old man in the 2700 block of Dickerson Pike. That’s the fifth deadly hit-and-run crash in as many weeks. All five occurred after dark or before sunrise, and the Metro Nashville Police Department is still searching for the drivers in four of the five crashes.
These deaths bring the total number of pedestrians killed in 2023 to 34, including one bicyclist.
The trend of rising pedestrian deaths tends to repeat each year as daylight hours shorten. Data shows that 75% of pedestrian strikes occur in the dark. But four is a high number of unsolved hit-and-runs. Police are asking anyone with information about a deadly hit-and-run to contact Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
Here’s what we know so far about each crash.
Saturday, Oct. 7
At 10:30 p.m., near the busy intersection of Central Pike and Old Hickory Boulevard, Roy Allen Pierce, 59, was struck by an unknown SUV. Pierce was transported to Skyline Medical Center, where he died. The SUV was caught on a nearby security camera, but police are still looking for the driver. The portion of Central Pike where the accident occurred has two lanes, plus a central turn lane, and no sidewalks or marked crosswalks. Pierce was standing in the central turn lane when he was hit.
Monday, Oct. 30
At 5:45 a.m., an Infiniti FX35 struck Denise Gordon, 60, who died of her injuries at the hospital. Police are still searching for the driver. The crash occurred on Murfreesboro Pike near East Thompson Lane. The location of the crash has five lanes, sidewalks and a central grass median where Gordon was found. The intersection of Murfreesboro and East Thompson has the only clearly-marked crosswalks for a long stretch.
Wednesday, Nov. 1
Nicole R. Joyce, 39, was struck while attempting to cross Thompson Lane near Eugenia Avenue. An unknown vehicle hit her at 6:40 p.m. and she died at the scene. At the location of the crash, Thompson Lane has four lanes plus a central turn lane and sidewalks on one side. The intersection between Thompson and Eugenia has no marked crosswalks.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
At 1 a.m. on Green Street near Fairfield Avenue, a 60-year-old woman was hit by an unknown vehicle. She later died at Vanderbilt Medical Center. At the intersection with Fairfield Avenue, Green Street is a two-lane road with sidewalks on both sides but no marked crosswalks.
Wednesday, Nov. 8, again
At 6:20 p.m., a Nissan Altima struck and killed Jeffrey Tidwell, 45, on the 2700 block of Dickerson Pike. Tidwell fell into the southbound lane where he was hit by another car, whose driver returned to the scene. The driver of the Nissan, 19-year-old Jiselle Boswell, turned herself into the police Thursday. She’s charged with driving on a revoked license and without insurance. Police say additional charges are possible. The area of the crash has four lanes and no sidewalks. The nearest crosswalk is about two blocks away.
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