Dog Found Waiting Outside Door of Owner Killed in Hit and Run: Police

A visually impaired woman has been killed in a suspected hit-and-run collision in Nashville, Tennessee, while she was out walking her dog.

The dog, which was unharmed, was later discovered waiting outside its owner's home in the aftermath of the incident, according to police.

A report issued by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said that fatal crash investigators who were deployed to the scene suspect a Ford F-150 pickup truck was involved in the alleged collision. It happened in the 200 block of Rio Vista Drive in Madison on the morning of Wednesday, March 22.

The victim was 50 years old and no further personal details have yet been provided. Officers found chrome grill parts belonging to a 2009 to 2014 F-150 in the roadway where the collision took place.

According to the police statement, the driver fled the scene after hitting the victim.

"The investigation to this point shows that the victim, who is visually impaired, was walking with her dog on the east side of Rio Vista Drive over a bridge when she was struck," the police statement said.

"She was found at approximately 6:30 this morning by a passerby and rushed to Skyline Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased."

Police say that the woman lived at a nearby apartment complex.

Her dog was found sitting at the front door of their home. It's now in the care of Metro Animal Control.

The authorities have so far been unable to locate any witnesses to the collision. Police are also making attempts to locate and notify the woman's family.

Anyone with information about the incident or a Ford F-150 pickup truck that has suffered damage is being asked to contact Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Information can be provided anonymously and cash rewards are on offer.

Newsweek contacted the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and Metro Animal Control for comment and an update on the case.

Hit-and-Run Incidents

Fatal hit-and-run incidents are becoming more frequent in the U.S.

According to a 2021 study conducted by insurance comparison website ValuePenguin, the number of fatal hit and runs rose from 1,342 in 2010 to 1,939 in 2019 - when data was most recently available.

There were several fatal hit-and-run incidents reported in the U.S. last year.

Last September, a man died in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a suspect hit him with his car following a fight over a Walmart parking spot.

In August 2022, a middle school teacher died after being struck by an unknown vehicle while traveling along View High Drive in Kansas City, Missouri.

One of the most horrific incidents took place nearly a year ago, in April 2022, when a 49-year-old woman was severed in half after being struck in a hit and run in Dade City, Florida.