MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man is dead after being hit by a car on 240 at Poplar Avenue Thursday morning, causing four lanes to be blocked.
According to reports, at 4:38 a.m., Memphis Police responded to a pedestrian struck at 240 & Poplar westbound. Officers found a male and pronounced him dead on the scene.
It’s unclear what led up to the man’s death, why he was on the interstate and who hit him. MPD says this is an ongoing investigation.
Drivers told WREG that the stretch isn’t well-lit, making it a safety hazard. “I get off 385 on I-40 when I’m approaching the Poplar exit, which I have to take. It’s so dark that I literally had to stop coming that way because I can’t see. I have to slow down and put my high beams on. No lights all the way down to Walnut Grove,” said Martha Thomas.
In October 2021, two pedestrians pushing a stalled vehicle were struck and killed on 240 west near Walnut Grove, not far from Thursday’s scene.
That year alone, more than 900 citations were issued across Tennessee for violating the move-over law, which requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down for emergency vehicles.
A local lawmaker is proposing a bill that would expand that law to include any driver with their hazards on and increase penalties.
WREG is also working to address drivers’ concerns about the lighting. TDOT told us to contact MLGW.
MLGW told us the lights along the interstate between Poplar and Walnut Grove are in their workload to be repaired. They added that cars hitting poles and knocking them down can trip the breaker or damage the underground system, which can cause long stretches of outages.
“We have two crews that work on the interstate every day making repairs. Our usual timeline is 30 days to replace a knockdown and/or fault,” the utility company said.