A Thursday morning pedestrian crash on Getwell Road near Kimball left a man in critical condition, according to police information reported by WREG. Officers responded to the 1400 block of Getwell Road, where the man was found and taken to a hospital.
According to WREG, police said the man was critically injured in the Thursday morning crash and that one person was detained afterward. The station's report does not identify the man who was hurt, the person detained, or specify what led to the collision.
Separately, Fox 13 reported that a pedestrian was struck and killed by a Memphis police officer's squad car Thursday night in East Memphis, with that crash located near Park Avenue and Getwell Road. That outlet said the person was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died, and that the Tennessee Highway Patrol took over the investigation. It is not established whether this nighttime crash is connected to the Thursday morning incident near Getwell and Kimball reported by WREG.
A Familiar, Dangerous Stretch of Road
In a separate incident, Memphis police said officers responded at 11:17 p.m. on September 13, 2026, to a critical pedestrian hit-and-run at Getwell Road and American Way. According to the Memphis Police Department, a pedestrian crossing westbound was struck by a blue, early-2000s Ford F-150 traveling northbound. The truck continued north on Getwell and crossed Interstate 240 without stopping, and the pedestrian was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The date and location distinguish that crash from Thursday morning’s incident near Kimball.
Further back, in February 2025, police said a pedestrian identified as Eduardo Lopez was struck and killed at Getwell Road and Willowview Avenue by an unknown driver in a silver vehicle traveling northbound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Other recent crashes documented by WREG include a juvenile struck at Getwell and Rhodes who was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition while the driver stayed at the scene, and a woman riding a bicycle who was struck at Lamar and Airways and reported by police to be in critical condition.
A Citywide Pattern
The repeated crashes along Getwell Road reflect a broader trend across Memphis. The city recorded 148 pedestrian crashes and 28 fatalities between January 1 and September 9, 2026, according to the Tennessee Highway Safety Office figures cited by WREG. A ValuePenguin study found that Memphis had the highest pedestrian fatality rate among the 50 most populous U.S. cities, counting 293 pedestrian deaths between 2019 and 2023, as reported by Action News 5.
Memphis police data also showed 3,404 pedestrian-involved accidents citywide since 2020, including 347 recorded in 2025 as of that report's publication, per the same Action News 5 account. A city public-safety presentation covering the period from January 1 through April 19, comparing 2025 to 2026, described significant declines in motorist and pedestrian fatalities during that window, according to a document posted by the City of Memphis.
Memphis’ Road-Safety Plan
The Memphis Safety Action Plan says the city completed a plan aimed at reducing fatal and serious-injury crashes for all roadway users. The verified material identifies that goal but does not provide specific implementation dates or progress measures; the plan does not establish what caused Thursday’s collision.
No further details have been released about the man injured Thursday morning on Getwell Road or the person police detained. It also remains unclear whether the nighttime crash described by Fox 13 near Park Avenue and Getwell Road is related to the morning incident near Kimball.
