NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ten people were taken to the hospital after a distracted driver rear-ended a Pedal Tavern on Demonbreun Street, renewing safety conversations about Nashville's busy tourism corridor.
Police say 10 of the 13 people on the Pedal Tavern were transported to the hospital following the crash. All are expected to survive. The driver told police his radio was distracting him when he struck the vehicle.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said the city monitors safety on its streets daily but acknowledged there are limits to what local government can do. He pointed to a state law that prevents Nashville from blocking streets in a tourism development zone, which has paused some safety projects.
"Overall, the pedal taverns, scooters, party buses — we have been successful in working with state partners getting some regulatory abilities there," O'Connell said.
The mayor said pedal taverns go through regular reviews and the city limits the number permitted on the road at any given time. However, he said distracted drivers remain outside the city's control.
"The thing I'm mostly encouraged by this morning is it sounds like all of the injured victims of the crash are stable," O'Connell said.
Nashville Pedal Tavern's owners said in a statement they are "deeply saddened by what happened" and that safety has been at the center of their 16-year-old business.
For many riders, the risks of sharing the road are not lost on them.
"It was always something in the back of my mind — we're gonna be on the road, we'll assume the risks for that," Mary Bach, a rider said.
"It's not in our hands. If someone hits us, we'll just be peddling and hopefully we'll get out of the way in time," Bach said.
Still, many visitors say they are not ready to stop riding.
"Don't get distracted. There's a lot of nightlife here," one rider said.
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