Nashville, Tennessee: Andrea Orr, 59, Dies After Hit and Run at North Nashville Crosswalk, Driver Cited

Andrea Orr, 59, of Nashville, has died after she was struck in a crosswalk in North Nashville on Saturday evening, Metro Nashville police said in a release published on Tuesday. Orr was hit at about 5:50 p.m. on October 24 at the intersection of Dr. DB Todd Jr. Boulevard and Buchanan Street. She was taken to St. Thomas Midtown Hospital, but only hours after the crash, and police now say the driver who left the scene has been identified and cited.

Hours between the crash and the hospital

According to the police release, the driver, Danielle McKell, 19, drove off after she and other individuals in the area moved Orr to the sidewalk. North Precinct officers were flagged down at 10:40 p.m., nearly five hours after the crash, and Orr was then taken to the hospital. The release does not give a date or time for Orr's death, and it does not describe the vehicle McKell was driving.

Citations now, upgraded charges expected

An investigation by Traffic Division Officer Christopher Augustin led to McKell's identification as the driver, police said. She has been issued two state citations, one charging her with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and one charging her with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk resulting in serious injury. Police said that, in discussion with the District Attorney's Office, those charges will be upgraded in the near future. The release did not say when the upgraded charges will be filed or what they will be.

The citations are allegations. McKell is presumed innocent unless the charges are proven in court.

What happens next

The next step in the case belongs to the District Attorney's Office. Police said the two citations will be upgraded after their discussions with prosecutors, which means the charges McKell ultimately faces in court are expected to be more serious than leaving the scene and failing to yield. Until that filing happens, the police account stands as the full public record of the crash: the time, the crosswalk, the move to the sidewalk, the departure, the five hour gap before officers were flagged down, and the hospital transport that followed.

A North Nashville crosswalk

The crash happened on Buchanan Street, the main commercial street through North Nashville, at its crossing with Dr. DB Todd Jr. Boulevard. Orr was in the crosswalk when she was struck, according to police. WZTV in Nashville also reported Orr's death and McKell's citations from the police announcement on Tuesday. Police have not released any further statement about the delay between the crash and Orr's arrival at the hospital, and no court date for McKell was given in the release.