Nashville business owner fighting for his life after mysterious incident

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Nashville business owner is in the hospital fighting for his life after he was found lying in the road in front of his restaurant in Wedgewood-Houston. WSMV 4 talked to the friends who are working alongside investigators to figure out what happened.

Investigators say at about 5:40 Wednesday evening, Matt Carney, the owner of Smokin Thighs, was seen leaving his restaurant from a side door. The next thing neighbors knew, he was lying in the road.

Robert Young, a friend of Carney and a private investigator working with Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), described Carney as “just a great guy overall.”

Young is interviewing witnesses and helping Metro Police track down the person responsible for critically injuring Carney and driving away. They are looking for the driver of a small black truck seen speeding out of the parking lot Wednesday evening.

“One of the witnesses that we interviewed stated they saw a small black truck, possibly a Toyota Tacoma or a Chevy S-10, leaving the Smokin Thighs parking lot, turning right onto Wedgewood going towards the soccer stadium,” Young explained. “When that truck turned right, Matt was observed hanging onto the side or around the hood area of the truck. When the truck made the right-hand turn, obviously going at a high rate of speed, Matt was thrown to the pavement and onto Wedgewood Avenue, sustaining those serious life-threatening injuries.”

MNPD reported that although Carney was found in the road in front of his restaurant, his car was found in the back of the parking lot with the door open and the engine running. This detail has led Young to fear that this was more than just a hit-and-run.

“This could be something that was planned out beforehand, where someone came here to do harm to Matt specifically or his business,” Young explained.

Young, along with other members of the Entrepreneurs Organization of Nashville (EO), is hoping that whoever did this is found soon. Carney is described as a joyful person who loved serving the community.

“I’ve personally known him from many of the EO events that I’ve been to. He was always laughing about different things and loved spending time with his wife, his family, and boating,” Young shared. “They love going on the lake, so that’s definitely one thing he enjoyed.”

A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case. You can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers.

You can track Carney’s status here. Carney is unconscious at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, police said, and has been unable to speak with officers about what happened.

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