A vehicle-pedestrian crash on Middle Tennessee Boulevard left one person seriously injured Friday night and shut down a busy stretch of the roadway between Southeast Broad Street and Bradyville Pike. The injured pedestrian was rushed to the hospital, and police sent out their specialized crash investigation unit to piece together what happened.
According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, the serious-injury crash blocked Middle Tennessee Boulevard between Southeast Broad Street and Bradyville Pike. As reported by WGNS Radio, the pedestrian suffered serious injuries and was transported by Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital.
Murfreesboro Police Department's Fatal Accident Crash Team, commonly known as FACT, responded to investigate the collision, the station reported. The roadway remained blocked for several hours as investigators worked the scene Friday night, per the same account. Drivers in the area should expect traffic delays for the next few hours, Murfreesboro Police said.
Specialized Unit Called to the Scene
FACT's involvement signals the seriousness with which Murfreesboro police are treating the collision. The department's official site explains that the unit consists of specially trained crash investigators who use technology to determine the cause of a fatal crash and work with the District Attorney General's Office to prosecute cases involving death or serious injury and alleged criminal conduct, according to the City of Murfreesboro.
Traffic was expected to be delayed for the next few hours, according to WSMV News 4, which echoed the police department's own traffic alert. Details about the pedestrian's identity, the vehicle involved, and what led up to the crash have not been released.
A Stretch of Road With a History
Middle Tennessee Boulevard has seen pedestrian crashes before. In a separate incident, a 21-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle, according to NewsChannel 5. In that case, police said the driver had a green arrow and was turning left from Lytle Street onto Middle Tennessee Boulevard, and investigators ultimately determined the driver was not at fault, the station reported.
Pedestrian safety advocates point to broader patterns that help explain why nighttime crashes like Friday's carry heightened risk. More than 65 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur during low-light conditions, with nighttime walking carrying roughly three times the risk of daytime travel, WGNS Radio reported. The station also noted that 40 pedestrians were struck by vehicles in a single year across Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.
No further details on the Friday night crash, including the pedestrian's condition or whether any citations have been issued, were available as of this report.
