A Father’s Day weekend family visit in Antioch almost turned tragic on Saturday when a water bottle blasted through a car’s windshield, drenching the driver and spraying him with glass. The family was heading down Pettus Road from Old Hickory shortly after 5 p.m., traveling in two separate vehicles with their children following behind in the second car when the sudden impact hit. The driver ended up soaked and covered in broken glass, according to the family.
As reported by WSMV, the driver is Tim Morris and his wife is Caroline Morris. She told the station she heard a sharp crack, then looked over to see her husband dripping wet. Photos the family shared with the outlet show a windshield spiderwebbed and caved in, with water gushing into the cab. A neighbor later told the family she had seen someone in a car toss a water bottle out a window about an hour earlier, which the Morrises now suspect may be tied to what happened.
Family shaken, looking for answers
Caroline Morris told WSMV the family is counting their blessings that the scare did not turn into something far worse. "I have chills thinking about it. It was so close to being horrible," she said. The couple says they want whoever was responsible to be identified, worried that what might have started as a reckless prank could easily end in disaster for another driver.
Possible criminal exposure
Intentionally throwing objects from or at moving vehicles in a way that could hurt someone can bring criminal charges in Tennessee. Under Justia, Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-103 on reckless endangerment covers conduct that "places or may place another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury." Tennessee appellate decisions applying that statute have treated a variety of dangerous, impulsive acts as criminal when they put others in immediate danger, and any decision about charges in a case like this would hinge on the available evidence and specific circumstances.
Neighbors urged to share tips
The Morris family says neighbors have mentioned similar objects being tossed in the area before and hopes that new tips will prevent the next close call. The Metro Nashville Police Department lists a non-emergency line at 615-862-8600 and directs anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463; press releases from MNPD and local reporting have pointed to those contacts for anyone with information. Witnesses who spotted the vehicle or the moment the bottle was thrown are urged to reach out to authorities or the family with anything that could help identify who was behind it.
For now, the Morrises are left with photos of a wrecked windshield and a stark reminder that a split-second, reckless stunt can turn an ordinary neighborhood drive into a terrifying ordeal. They say they are thankful their Father’s Day trip did not end in tragedy and are pleading with anyone who knows something to speak up.
