A tragic incident unfolded on I-40 East last night when a pedestrian was fatally struck in a traffic accident. The victim, identified as 64-year-old Arbadellia Richardson of Old Hickory, tragically lost her life while trying to warn other drivers of a hazard on the road, as reported by the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The events leading to Richardson's untimely death began with a black Chevrolet 1500 crashing on the exit ramp above Old Hickory Boulevard and Central Pike, leaving the vehicle disabled partly in the right lane, Richardson who was a passenger in another vehicle that stopped to assist, was standing between the crashed truck and her friend's car using her phone's flashlight to alert oncoming traffic when she was struck by a Toyota Corolla whose driver attempted to avoid the earlier wreck but could not in the limited time given the prevailing conditions on the ground.
Following the collision, Richardson was pronounced dead at the scene; meanwhile the 25-year-old male driver of the Toyota sustained injuries deemed non-life-threatening and was subsequently taken to Summit Medical Center for treatment. In a statement obtained by the Metro Nashville Police Department, the driver indicated that by the time he saw the disabled vehicle and Richardson, it was too late for him to avert the fatal encounter. No signs of impairment were detected at the scene according to the authorities.
