NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man driving on James Robertson Parkway Tuesday is now charged with hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
The woman was critically injured from the incident.
Metro Nashville Police Department officials said they issued James Smallwood, of Madison, a citation for failure to yield resulting in bodily injury. The woman was crossing at the intersection of 7th Avenue North when she was struck by the Mitsubishi Lancer. She was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Smallwood showed no signs of impairment on scene and was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Drivers are supposed to stop for pedestrians crossing in marked crosswalks.
But it doesn't always happen.
Michelle Beatty and Peter Smith are visiting Nashville from the United Kingdom.
They're taking in all the sights and sounds of Music City including the traffic.
"Look for the warning lights but you can’t see the warning lights as a pedestrian, so I don’t know if that’s a sign for the driver or for us. But again, the traffic stopped," said Beatty.
It was just a few hours before when this area here looked a lot different.
Crime scene tape and police cars covered the street along James Robertson Parkway and 7th avenue North after a call came in that a woman was hit by a car, and critically injured walking through the crosswalk.
"Something to bring more attention and also I think it was dark, pretty dark when it happened too," said Mark Storz who works nearby.
Our cameras caught one person choosing to run across the crosswalk just in case cars decide not to stop.
This woman started to cross but took a step back when she saw no one was going to stop.
"It is tough but you see it every day just cars going by here, so you have got to be extra careful," said Storz.
Tennessee law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians when pedestrians are already walking through the crosswalk.
Tennessee Department of Transportation says there is no requirement in TN for drivers to yield when the pedestrian is about to enter the crosswalk.
For their part, pedestrians must wait to enter the half of the roadway upon which the driver is approaching if it would be “impossible” for the driver to stop.
"When it comes to these crosswalks, I see it all the time, cars just blow past it. It also makes you aware as a walker that you need to be aware as well because they’re not going to pay attention to these signs even though it’s marked pretty well," said Storz.
The crosswalks over James Robertson Pkwy between the Capitol and Bicentennial Mall have flashing beacons, pedestrian scale lighting, and textured road surfaces to draw drivers' attention to these crosswalks.
TDOT does have programs proactively focusing on upgrading the crosswalks with the worst crash history and potential in the state.
But people tell NewsChannel 5 more needs to be done.
