A group of five pedestrians was crossing East Main Street in Chattanooga's Southside on Saturday night, October 17, when a white Chevy pickup truck barreled through, striking two of them and sending one to the hospital with serious injuries. Police say the driver, identified as Reginald Cousins Jr., was under the influence at the time, and that he gave officers shifting explanations for the smell they detected on him before failing a field sobriety test on the spot.
Chattanooga police responded to the 9:20 p.m. call after the truck, traveling westbound on East Main Street, hit two of the five pedestrians who had entered the crosswalk, according to WTVC. The other three pedestrians avoided being struck by jumping out of the way. One witness reportedly told officers that only one person had been hit, though police say two victims were actually struck.
One of the two injured pedestrians sustained serious injuries requiring immediate medical assistance and stabilization, while the other suffered only minor injuries, the station's report states. Both were transported to Erlanger Hospital, which operates the region's only Level I Trauma Center, serving a 63-county area spanning East Tennessee, North Georgia, North Alabama, and Western North Carolina, according to Erlanger Health System.
Shifting Stories and a Failed Sobriety Test
Officers on scene reported smelling an odor coming from Cousins, who claimed it was punch and lemonade, per the same account. Police say he changed his story repeatedly while talking with them. During field sobriety testing, Cousins reportedly failed to maintain his balance, made improper turns, stepped off the line, swayed side to side, and jumbled and skipped letters while reciting the alphabet.
Chattanooga police identified Cousins as the driver and arrested him on a charge of driving under the influence. Under Tennessee's implied consent law, T.C.A. § 55-10-406, drivers on public roads are deemed to consent to chemical testing, and refusal of a blood or breath test can lead to license suspension, according to EC Attorneys.
What Comes Next Legally
A first-offense DUI conviction in Tennessee carries a mandatory minimum of 48 hours in jail, escalating to seven days if blood alcohol content reaches .20 or higher, along with fines between $350 and $1,500 and a mandatory one-year license revocation, per the Barnes & Fersten Law Firm's breakdown of T.C.A. § 55-10-401. But the stakes could rise significantly depending on how the seriously injured victim's condition is ultimately classified. Tennessee law defines recklessly causing serious bodily injury to another person while driving under the influence as vehicular assault, a Class D felony punishable by two to 12 years in prison and fines up to $5,000, under T.C.A. § 39-13-106, as outlined by Justia Law.
Whether prosecutors pursue that upgraded charge will likely hinge on medical findings from Erlanger. It remains unclear whether toxicology results have come back or whether Hamilton County prosecutors intend to present felony charges to a grand jury.
A Corridor Built for Foot Traffic, and a Familiar Danger
East Main Street in the Southside has become one of Chattanooga's busiest dining and nightlife strips, anchored by spots like State of Confusion and Main Street Meats, which helps explain why five pedestrians were crossing together near 9:20 p.m. on a Saturday, per State of Confusion's own account of the corridor's evening foot traffic. That density can pose risks for pedestrians.
Those numbers prompted the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency to formally adopt a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan in August 2025, establishing a Vision Zero policy aimed at eliminating pedestrian deaths and serious injuries citywide. It is not an isolated concern: in October 2025, Chattanooga police's Traffic/DUI Unit investigated a similar crash on Gunbarrel Road in which an impaired driver struck two pedestrians, killing one and severely injuring the other.
The East Main Street crash also follows other recent Hamilton County impaired-driving cases. Earlier this month, Hoodline reported that a Chattanooga driver charged after SUV plunge onto railroad tracks faced DUI, vehicular assault, child neglect, and child abuse charges. Statewide, Tennessee recorded 7,028 crashes involving DUI drivers between April 2024 and March 2025, even as overall traffic fatalities dropped 14 percent, according to Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security figures cited by Hoodline.
