NASHVILLE, TN — Several people were hurt Thursday night when a Toyota RAV4 struck the back of a Pedal Tavern carrying 13 passengers on Demonbreun Street in downtown Nashville, police said. The crash happened near 1033 Demonbreun St. at about 8:30 p.m. and left at least two people with serious injuries.
Metro Nashville Police said neither driver was injured in the collision. The passengers on the Pedal Tavern were taken to hospitals after the crash, and emergency crews shut down the area near Demonbreun and 11th while investigators and responders worked at the scene.
Police say the RAV4 driver told officers he was distracted before the collision
According to police, the driver of the Toyota told officers he became distracted before rear-ending the Pedal Tavern. That account is part of the preliminary information released by Metro Nashville Police, which is still looking at the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The Pedal Tavern was carrying 13 people at the time of the impact. Investigators have not said whether any other vehicles were involved or what specific distraction may have led to the crash. For now, the key detail is that the collision happened from behind on one of Nashville’s busiest nightlife corridors.
Passengers were sent to several hospitals across Nashville after the wreck
MNPD spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said 10 of the 13 passengers were transported to hospitals after the crash. Those hospitals included St. Thomas Midtown, TriStar Centennial, TriStar Skyline and Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Police first said nine passengers had been hospitalized, but that number was later updated. The difference appears to reflect the evolving count as crews assessed injuries and arranged transports. The updated figure shows how quickly the response unfolded as medics moved patients to multiple facilities around the city.
Six patients were still hospitalized early Friday and remained stable
By early Friday morning, six of the 10 passengers taken to hospitals were still admitted, and all were at Vanderbilt, police said. Authorities described those patients as stable and in non-critical condition.
The latest update offered a clearer picture of the injury status after the initial emergency response. While several people were seriously hurt, the early Friday condition report suggested the situation had improved from the night before, at least for the patients still under care at Vanderbilt.
The crash briefly shut down traffic near one of downtown Nashville's busiest stretches
Crews kept the stretch near Demonbreun and 11th closed while they dealt with the collision scene. The intersection sits in a heavily trafficked part of downtown Nashville, where restaurants, entertainment venues and nightlife draw large crowds at night.
Because the Pedal Tavern was carrying a full group and the crash happened during the evening hours, the response likely required both medical transport and traffic control. Police did not immediately announce any arrests or citations, and the investigation into the crash details was still developing.
Pedal Tavern crash adds to a serious nighttime injury scene in downtown Nashville
Pedal Tavern tours are a familiar sight in downtown Nashville, often carrying groups through the city’s entertainment district. Thursday night’s crash turned one of those outings into a medical emergency, with multiple passengers needing hospital treatment after the impact.
For police and first responders, the focus shifted quickly from the collision itself to moving passengers to care and securing the roadway. The incident also underscores how a brief moment of distraction can have immediate consequences in a dense downtown area where vehicles, pedestrians and tour groups share the same streets.
