A woman is dead after a tragic accident.
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On Dec. 23, the Murfreesboro Police Department in Tennessee took to Facebook to announce that the parking lot of the Long Horn Steak House at The Avenue Mall was closed. At the time, the department said that the closure was due to “an injury crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian.”
Later, however, the department updated its original post to share more details about the tragic situation.
According to the MPD, at just around 3 p.m. on Dec. 23 a “freak accident” led to a woman’s death.
Per the department, the accident occurred when a woman was driving a Honda CRV. The vehicle had been modified for use as a mail carrier vehicle. As such, an accelerator and brake pedal were installed on the passenger side.
The driver, the department said, initially reversed out of a parking space. Next, a wheelchair-bound man tried to enter the vehicle with the help of another women.
When he did so, the man, who had recently suffered a stroke that left him no feeling on his left side, accidentally pressed the accelerator pedal with his foot.
That misstep caused the vehicle to reverse and spin out of control, the department said. The SUV, the department said, proceeded to hit a parked vehicle, which struck the woman who had been standing outside between two cars. The vehicle spun out of control and crashed into two more parked cars before coming to a stop, per the department.
The woman was first taken to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital and later transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center. She was initially listed in critical condition.
Cathy Pendergrass Revealed as the Victim of the Accident
Days later, however, the department announced that the woman, whom they identified as 61-year-old Cathy Pendergrass, died from her injuries on Dec. 28, five days aftershe arrived to the hospital.
The accident, the department noted, remains under investigation by the Fatal Accident Crash Team.
Per her online obituary, Pendergrass is survived her husband of 36 years, Bill Pendergrass, as well her four children, five grandchildren, her mother, her four siblings, and a host of extended family and dear friends.
She was laid to rest on Jan. 4, and a celebration of life is planned for Jan. 25.