Months after a violent three-vehicle wreck on Highway 70 left one man dead, a Nashville driver is now facing a serious felony charge. William Richards, 48, has been charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication in connection with the mid-April crash that killed 59-year-old David Elliott. Richards, who was badly hurt in the collision, was taken from the scene and treated at a local hospital.
An arrest affidavit reviewed by WSMV states that Richards was behind the wheel of a white Ford F-150 when the truck veered off the roadway, went onto the shoulder, then came back onto Highway 70 and crossed into oncoming traffic. His vehicle collided with a pickup driven by Elliott, according to the affidavit, and a third vehicle, a Dodge Ram, then hit one of the trucks, triggering a chain-reaction crash.
In an April media release, the Metro Nashville Police Department said the collision occurred just before 5:30 p.m. on Highway 70 at Beverly Hills Drive near the Cheatham County line. Elliott died at the scene, according to police. Two passengers riding with him were rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with injuries police described as non-life-threatening, while Richards was taken to Vanderbilt in critical condition.
Toxicology And Charges
Investigators obtained a search warrant to draw Richards’s blood while he was hospitalized. The arrest affidavit states that toxicology results later showed he tested positive for THC. Based on physical evidence at the scene, officer observations, and those blood results, authorities concluded Richards appeared to be impaired at the time of the wreck, and prosecutors charged him with vehicular homicide by intoxication, according to the affidavit cited by WSMV.
What The Charge Means
Under Tennessee law, vehicular homicide by intoxication is classified as a Class B felony. Justia publishes the Tennessee Code section that defines vehicular homicide and explains that cases involving a driver’s intoxication are treated more severely, with stiffer penalties than non-intoxication vehicular homicide.
This stretch of U.S. 70 has seen increased enforcement attention in recent years, including local safety pushes focused on preventing crashes and impaired driving, and the April wreck briefly shut down traffic while rattling nearby residents. One Killed In Three-Car Smash documented the initial fallout for drivers and the early stages of the investigation.
Metro officers are still investigating the circumstances of the crash. The Metro Nashville Police Department outlined preliminary findings and listed the injuries in its April update, which did not yet reflect the later charging decision. Prosecutors are now responsible for setting court dates and handling the next steps as the case moves through the legal system.
