Four people, including three teenagers, were injured overnight when a car slammed into a light pole in East Memphis, according to the Memphis Police Department. Officers were called to the area of Perkins Extended near Shady Grove, where they found the aftermath of the crash and four victims in need of medical attention.
What Police Have Confirmed So Far
According to FOX13 Memphis, the injured included a 14-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl, a 16-year-old girl, and a fourth person whose age was not released. The Memphis Police Department said one of the four was seriously injured, while the other three are expected to recover.
A Corridor With a History of Serious Wrecks
The Perkins roadway network has seen severe collisions before. A multi-vehicle crash at Walnut Grove Road and Perkins Road in September 2022 killed two people and left another driver in critical condition, ABC24 Memphis reported at the time. Separately, the nearby intersection of Knight Arnold Road and South Perkins Road ranked among the ten most dangerous intersections in Memphis in 2023, recording 60 collisions that year, according to Greer Injury Lawyers.
Light pole strikes themselves are a persistent and costly problem across the city. Vehicles hit utility and light poles in Memphis an average of 80 times a month, costing Memphis Light, Gas and Water roughly $9.6 million a year in repairs, ABC24 Memphis reported in June.
Open Questions Around a Minor Driver
Memphis police have not said who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, nor what caused the vehicle to leave the road. With three of the four victims being teenagers and the crash happening overnight, Tennessee's Graduated Driver License program looms over the unanswered questions. Under Tennessee Code § 55-50-311, Level 2 Intermediate Restricted license holders under 18 are barred from driving between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and may carry no more than one passenger under 21 who is not immediate family, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety.
Part of a Rough Stretch for Memphis Roads
A separate overnight collision on Hickory Hill Road killed five people and critically injured two Memphis police officers, as Hoodline reported.
Memphis police have not released additional details on the condition of the seriously injured victim or confirmed when a full crash report will be completed.
