87-Year-Old Driver Booked Into Jail Months After Fatal Nashville Broadway Crash

An 87-year-old Kentucky man was booked into the Metro Jail on Monday, three months after a collision on Lower Broadway in Nashville claimed the life of a tourist and injured three other pedestrians, according to newschannel5.com.

Thomas Cahill, of Bowling Green, surrendered to authorities to face four misdemeanor charges stemming from the August 1 incident. Investigators say Cahill was driving a Ford Fusion south on Fourth Avenue North when he stopped short of the intersection at Broadway. While the traffic light was red for his lane and pedestrians had the active walk signal, Cahill suddenly accelerated through the crossing.

The Fatal Impact and Immediate Aftermath

The vehicle struck four people in the crosswalk. Timothy Wedlock, a 58-year-old visitor from Australia, died from his injuries. Three other pedestrians sustained injuries: Matthew Gregg, 44, of Jacksonville, Florida; Dianne Cooper, 58, of Parsons, Tennessee; and Kathleen Broderick, 21, of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Following the crash, Cahill brought his car to a stop and exited the vehicle on his own power. Emergency responders transported him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was discharged a few days later. Court documents note that Cahill appeared confused upon arrival at the hospital and could not provide an initial statement to police, later telling investigators that he had no memory of the event.

According to yahoo.com, Cahill was traveling with his 90-year-old wife and her caregiver at the time of the collision. His wife sustained minor injuries, while the caregiver, who reported she was looking at her phone in the backseat when the impact occurred, was unhurt. Authorities later confirmed Cahill’s wife passed away days afterward from causes unrelated to the crash.

Misdemeanor Charges and Legal Framework

On September 4, law enforcement served Cahill with four misdemeanor citations comprising one count of failure to yield causing death and three counts of failure to yield causing serious injury. Although initial law enforcement updates pointed toward an earlier booking, jail records show Cahill was formally booked on Monday, November 2, as reported by wbko.com.

87-Year-Old Driver Booked Into Jail Months After Fatal Nashville Broadway Crash — Photo: wbko.com

Under Tennessee law, the charge of failure to yield resulting in death is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a potential penalty of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. The charge for failure to yield resulting in serious bodily injury is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine up to $500. A conviction can also result in the revocation of a driver’s license for up to a year in fatal cases, or six months for serious injury.

The Elena Zamora Memorial Act of 2016 introduced these heightened penalties for failure to yield during fatal pedestrian incidents, taking its name from a 17-year-old student from Nashville who lost her life while crossing a downtown street in 2013.