Authorities are on the hunt for the driver of a red 2001 Lincoln Navigator after a devastating multi-vehicle crash on I-24 East near the Old Hickory Boulevard exit ramp early Sunday morning, according to the Nashville Police Department. The collision, which occurred at 3:20 a.m., claimed the lives of two individuals and sent others to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In the chaos of the early hours, it is believed the Navigator was traveling too fast for the heavy traffic conditions and struck a Toyota Sienna from behind, the impact of which sent the Sienna crashing into a Ford Edge, which then slammed into a Freightliner. The series of unfortunate events led to a catastrophic chain reaction. Witnesses reported that after the collision, the driver of the Navigator made a swift departure on foot, abandoning the vehicle at the scene, and thus, authorities are seeking public assistance to lend a hand in identifying this individual.
Tragically, two passengers in the Sienna, Queen Umuhoza, 19, of LaVergne, and Francine Nyanduhura, 22, of Smyrna, were pronounced dead, marking a somber loss for the community. The driver and another passenger of the Sienna were rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, treating their wounds from the accident.
The aftermath of the crash also left the driver of the Ford Edge in need of medical attention wherefore they were transported to Southern Hills Medical Center, dealing with injuries that thankfully, were not life threatening, while investigators have found no immediate signs of impairment at the crash site, they continue to investigate the circumstances of the fatal encounter and strongly urge anyone with knowledge about the Lincoln Navigator or its driver to step forward and provide information to Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
