Cetin Atmaca says it happened in two or three seconds flat: he felt strong chest pain, his vision went dark, and by the time he opened his eyes again, his car had slammed into a traffic light at the intersection of North Mt. Juliet Road and Weston Drive. He was driving to lunch with his wife and two daughters when he began to feel unwell, lost control of the vehicle, and passed out behind the wheel, then briefly again after the crash.
A crash this afternoon caused significant damage to a traffic signal mast at the N. Mt. Juliet Rd and Weston Dr intersection, impacting the signals that control eastbound traffic coming from Weston Dr.
— Mt. Juliet Police (@MtJulietPolice) August 31, 2026
Contractors responded and are actively working on a temporary signal solution… pic.twitter.com/vaCzNrfkST
Atmaca was transported by ambulance to a hospital and remains in the ICU at TriStar Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, according to WKRN News 2. Doctors treating him are still unsure whether he suffered a heart attack or heat stroke, the station reports. TriStar Summit is a 234-bed acute care hospital that runs a Level III trauma center, an accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI capability, and a Primary Stroke Center, according to TriStar Summit Medical Center — resources that put Atmaca in the hands of specialists equipped to sort out exactly what triggered his collapse.
No pedestrians were in the busy intersection when the crash happened, and Atmaca's family was not harmed. He told the station he had actually tried to pull over near a school as he started to feel unwell, but the medical event overtook him before he could get the car stopped safely.
A Corridor Built Around School Traffic
The stretch of North Mt. Juliet Road running past Weston Drive functions as a primary arterial connecting West Wilson Middle School and Mt. Juliet Middle School, and the road is periodically closed for major civic events like the city's annual Christmas parade, per the Mt. Juliet Police Department newsroom. That density of foot and vehicle traffic is part of why officials have been investing in the corridor: the Greater Nashville Regional Council allocated funding in November 2024 for six-foot-wide ADA-compliant sidewalks and unsignalized pedestrian crossing enhancements along the same stretch of road.
The crash Sunday knocked out the signal controlling eastbound traffic coming from Weston Drive, leaving signals along the corridor dark for part of the afternoon. Crews moved quickly to restore order at the intersection, installing temporary traffic signals that were up and operational by Monday, Mt. Juliet police said.
Atmaca's Message to Neighbors
Atmaca posted a comment on the Mt. Juliet Police Department's Facebook page apologizing to neighbors for the disruption and expressing relief that no pedestrians or other drivers were hurt. He wrote that he felt very strong just before getting into his car, and that the entire ordeal, from feeling unwell to losing control, unfolded within two to three seconds.
He said he is glad to be alive and reported that his family is okay. Local residents responded to his post with supportive messages, several emphasizing that a sudden medical event is beyond a driver's control. Atmaca has received many kind messages from his Mt. Juliet neighbors since the crash, and he told WKRN that crossing the road at that moment would have been a disaster had anyone been in his path. He advised other drivers to think about potential dangers every second they're behind the wheel and to consider the worst-case scenario while driving.
What Tennessee Law Says About Sudden Medical Emergencies
Under Tennessee tort law established in McCall v. Wilder and affirmed in appellate decisions through 2025, a driver who suffers a sudden loss of consciousness or physical capacity is generally shielded from negligence liability if the medical emergency was not reasonably foreseeable, according to legal analysis from Day on Torts. That protection has limits: if a driver knowingly operates a vehicle despite a condition that poses a foreseeable risk of losing control, comparative fault principles can apply instead.
Separately, the Driver Improvement Section of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security maintains administrative procedures that let medical professionals and citizens report drivers with physical or mental conditions that could affect safe driving, a process that can trigger license suspensions or evaluations by a medical review board. It remains unclear whether any such review will apply in Atmaca's case, since doctors have not yet determined the cause of his collapse.
How Common Are Medical-Related Crashes?
Blackouts and cardiac events are far from rare triggers behind the wheel. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration technical report found that among crashes preceded by a medical event, seizures accounted for 35%, blackouts for 29%, diabetic reactions for 20%, and heart attacks for 11%. Atmaca's crash adds to that national picture, even as it ended without the catastrophic outcome such incidents can produce.
Broader traffic safety trends have been improving. NHTSA data released in April 2026 showed U.S. traffic fatalities dropped 6.7% in 2025 to 36,640, marking the second-lowest fatality rate in recorded history at 1.10 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, with decreases recorded across 39 states.
Emergency medical response in Mt. Juliet runs through a partnership between the Wilson County Emergency Management Agency and the Mt. Juliet Fire Department, which launched its own dedicated EMS ambulance fleet in March 2023, according to Firehouse Magazine. First responders across both agencies are cross-trained as paramedics and advanced EMTs, infrastructure that helped get Atmaca from the crash site to specialized cardiac and trauma care without delay.
