The Brentwood community is grieving the tragic loss of 15-year-old Chethan Babu, a Brentwood High School student and promising athlete, who died Sunday morning following an electric motorcycle crash.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), Babu was riding an electric motorcycle on the sidewalk of Old Hickory Boulevard near High Lea Road on Saturday at a high rate of speed when he lost control. Police said he was thrown from the bike and struck a fire hydrant.
A witness told investigators that Babu appeared to be traveling between 40 and 50 miles per hour at the time of the crash. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning.
MNPD stated that “the preliminary contributing factors to this crash appear to be reckless driving and inexperience.”
Community Mourning
The loss of Babu has deeply shaken both Brentwood Middle School and Brentwood High School. The PTO at Brentwood Middle School shared a statement Sunday:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of this tragic loss for our BMS & BHS community. Fellowship Bible Church – Brentwood Campus will be hosting a prayer night honoring Chethan Babu. Our thoughts are with the Babu family during this time.”
School leaders Dr. Harlin and Mr. Keidel also sent emails to families, offering condolences and outlining grief resources available for students and staff.
Remembering Chethan Babu
At just 15 years and 9 months old, Babu was known as a brilliant student and a dedicated baseball player at Brentwood High. Friends, classmates, and teammates have remembered him as hardworking, talented, and full of potential.
Chethan was the son of Dr. Ashok Babu, a cardiac surgeon at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville and former cardiac surgeon at the University of Colorado Denver, and Nicole Babu, who previously worked at the University of Colorado Hospital.
The Brentwood community is rallying around the Babu family in their grief, with Fellowship Bible Church opening its doors for prayer and remembrance.
