A four-vehicle crash on Highway 385 near the Progress Road overpass left one person dead and another with minor injuries Wednesday afternoon, and police have charged a 37-year-old Arlington man in connection with the wreck. Derek Kyle Johnson now faces vehicular homicide and several other charges after the crash, which happened at approximately 5:12 p.m.
Collierville Police Detail the Charges
According to localmemphis.com, Collierville Police responded to the crash near the Progress Road overpass on Wednesday. The outlet reports that Johnson was charged with vehicular homicide, DUI, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, an open-container violation and a seat-belt violation.
Johnson remains in custody at the Collierville Police Department and is reportedly being held on $250,000 bail. The crash killed one person and left another with injuries described as minor, per the same report.
Highway 385 Has Seen Repeated Crashes
Wednesday's wreck is the latest in a string of serious collisions on the busy Collierville corridor. In July 2025, a four-vehicle collision on Highway 385 East sent two people to the hospital, according to actionnews5.com, which reported that eastbound traffic between Forest Hill Irene Road and South Houston Levee Road was shut down for roughly an hour before reopening.
About three years and two months earlier, in August 2023, a crash near Forest Hill Irene Road left three people hospitalized, with one suffering life-threatening injuries and two others transported in non-critical condition, Action News 5 reported at the time. That wreck was reported to the Tennessee Department of Transportation at 9:52 a.m. before traffic eventually cleared.
Statewide Numbers Offer Some Context
The Tennessee Department of Safety tracks statewide activity data covering citations issued, crashes investigated and DUI arrests, per tn.gov.
