Driver hits pedal tavern in the Gulch; 6 still hospitalized

Six people hurt when a driver rear-ended a pedal tavern in the Gulch on Thursday night were still at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Friday, the Metro Nashville Police Department said. All six are in stable, non-critical condition, police said.

The department has not put a release about the crash on its own news page. The facts below are its statements to reporters and its post on X. Each was carried in the department’s own words by WSMV and by USA Today. We have taken only what police said.

What police said happened

• When: about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.
• Where: Demonbreun Street near No. 1033, in the Gulch.
• What: the driver of a westbound Toyota RAV4 rear-ended the pedal tavern.
• Why: police said the driver told investigators he was distracted.

Police first said nine people were hurt. The department later said 13 people were on the pedal tavern and 10 of them were taken to hospitals.

Charges

No one has been charged. Police said Friday morning that the district attorney general’s office will be consulted on charges after investigators review video from the pedal tavern and finish their investigation.

Police have not named the driver or anyone who was hurt, and neither do we.

How Metro regulates pedal taverns

Pedal taverns are licensed by Metro’s Transportation Licensing Commission under Chapter 6.75 of the Metro Code. The commission’s current rules, dated Sept. 16, 2026, set when and where they can run:

• They may not operate on the streets from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.
• From 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays they may run only on routes approved by the commission’s director and the Nashville Department of Transportation’s chief engineer.
• Operators must report any departure from an approved route to NDOT within 72 hours.
• They must stay inside a boundary the rules set out street by street, from Harrison Street south to Edgehill Avenue and from First Avenue west to 21st Avenue South.
• They may not operate normally within one city block of a school, day care, health care facility or place of worship.

The same rules set a $645 company application fee, a $50 annual permit for each vehicle, a $40 driver permit fee and a $75 criminal background fee.

Thursday’s crash happened at about 8:30 p.m., outside both weekday rush-hour windows.

What it means for you

• Police are still investigating. If you saw the crash, call the Metro Nashville Police Department’s non-emergency line, 615-862-8600.
• The rules above apply to every licensed pedal tavern in Nashville. Questions or complaints about an operator go to the Transportation Licensing Commission, part of NDOT. Its transportation licensing page lists 615-862-5000, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• For road closures downtown this week, see our road construction and closures page. Police calls across the county are on our police and fire log.

We will update this page when police announce charges or release more information.

An arrest or charge is an accusation. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court. To ask for a correction, see our removal and corrections route.