Nashville Bell Road crash claimed the life of 59-year-old Randall Abernathy Sr., a local man who died after a violent afternoon collision involving a motorcycle and an SUV at a busy southeast intersection.
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. at Bell Road and Nashboro Boulevard. Abernathy was riding a 2025 Harley-Davidson Road Glide, heading south on Bell Road, when the incident unfolded.
According to investigators, a 2017 Ford Escape entered Bell Road from Nashboro Boulevard. The SUV was driven by 70-year-old Elizabeth Hernandez.
Police said Hernandez attempted a right turn on red before the impact. In that same moment, the motorcycle and SUV collided in the intersection under circumstances still being closely reviewed.
Abernathy was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with critical injuries. Despite medical efforts, he later died from those injuries, leaving behind a sudden and tragic loss for those who knew him.
Authorities confirmed Hernandez was not injured in the crash. Officers also noted that neither driver showed signs of impairment at the scene.
Investigators have not yet determined whether Abernathy was in a right-turn-only lane or had the clear right of way when the vehicles met. That detail remains central to the ongoing analysis.
Metro Nashville Police continue to examine evidence and witness accounts as they work to reconstruct exactly how the crash developed at one of southeast Nashville’s busier intersections.
