Three People Killed in Separate Rutherford County Crashes

MURFREESBORO, TN — Three people were killed in unconnected overnight crashes in Rutherford County. Two of those killed were pedestrians, one of whom was a robbery suspect fleeing from police on Interstate 24.

Jermaine Wade, 25, of Nashville was hit by a car near mile marker 78 around midnight Friday. Murfreesboro Police were nearby investigating a robbery when they saw the suspect's car. When they approached Wade, he exited his car and began to run down the interstate and was hit by a vehicle, shutting down eastbound lanes of I-24 for about four hours.

Earlier, around 6:15 Thursday night, Bradyville's James Pitts Jr., 39, was trying cross Highway 70 at Mt. Herman Road when he was hit by a Toyota Corolla. The driver, who was ticketed for driving without a license and failure to provide proof of insurance, told investigators he could not avoid Pitts. Neither the driver nor two children in the car were injured.

And before that wreck, around 3 p.m. Thursday, Steven Riggan, 58, of Rockvale, lost control of his car on Highway 96 near Coleman Hill Road, drove off the road and hit a tree, causing his car to catch fire. A passerby pulled Riggan from the fiery crash but was unable to save his life.

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