NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville woman who spent nearly six decades navigating life from a wheelchair — raising children, surviving cancer and showing up for the moments that mattered most — was killed Monday afternoon when an SUV struck her in a crosswalk while the driver was looking at her phone's GPS.
Naomi Mangrum, 75, was crossing Gallatin Pike South at East Palestine Avenue in her wheelchair when a Honda SUV turned left onto Gallatin Pike and struck her. Investigators say Mangrum had the walk signal and was inside the crosswalk at the time of the collision. She later died from her injuries.
The driver, Katelyn Rountree of Michigan, admitted to looking at her phone's GPS just before the collision. Rountree was charged with failure to yield the right of way, resulting in serious injury, and released on a $1,000 bond.
Mangrum is the sixth person killed in a fatal pedestrian crash in Nashville so far this year.
Her daughter, Maggie Reeves, says her mother had been in a wheelchair since she was 17 — but never let it slow her down.
"She'd been in a wheelchair since she was 17, and she had me in '79, and she managed to do it from sitting in a wheelchair all her life," Reeves said.
Reeves says her mother fought seizure disorders and still managed to raise her children.
"With some of the seizure disorders, she fought the odds and still managed to raise me," Reeves said.
Mangrum was present for every milestone in her daughter's life — from grade school through graduation.
"She raised me all through school years, up until the day I graduated from high school, and then I managed to get to college 10 years ago, 12 years ago now, and she was there for that," Reeves said.
The last time Reeves saw her mother alive was the weekend before the crash.
"Then all of a sudden, 48 hours later, she's gone," Reeves said.
Reeves lives just two blocks from the crash site. She heard sirens that Monday afternoon but never imagined they were for her mother.
"I just thought it was... I don't know. I didn't expect that," Reeves said.
In the days since, Reeves says she has moved through grief and into anger — but is trying to stay focused.
"I've already cried enough. I can't cry anymore, and I just, I just want to get her laid to rest as soon as possible," Reeves said. "I held it together and said, okay, just let the police and the law handle it, and just focus on getting her taken care of."
Now, Reeves has a message for every driver on the road.
"It's just, it's awful how people don't seem to want to watch where they're going, or be patient when they're seeing someone able-bodied or not crossing a crosswalk," Reeves said.
Reeves has started a GoFundMe to help cover her mother's funeral expenses.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is a great little gem in North Nashville. The founder and curator turned his home into a museum to keep the legacy of historic Jefferson street alive. Now, it's been named a stop on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Aaron Cantrell takes us inside.
- Lelan Statom
