Last photo of mother and child who were killed when car went out of control on Frazier Avenue. It was taken at the Ed Johnson Memorial.
Octavio Devin Paz who was lone survivor of tragic accident
Andrea Hayduk of the public defender’s office
Randy Vega is brought into court
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Octavio Devia Paz told a Criminal Court jury on Tuesday that he, his wife and their young son were about to cross Frazier Avenue to head for the Aquarium on Nov. 25, 2023, when disaster struck.
An out-of-control vehicle went airborne and crashed into the Jacksonville, Fla., family, killing the mother and young son and severely injuring the father.
The driver, Randy Vega, is facing multiple charges, including vehicular homicide in the horrendous wreck across from the Walnut Street Bridge at Forest Avenue. The trial is in the courtroom of Judge Boyd Patterson.
Prosecutor Sean Boers blamed Vega for the deaths of Ana Posso, 41, and Johnathan Paz, age one year and 11 months. He said Vega was intoxicated and got into a road rage incident with local doctor, Patrick McGinty.
He said the Vega vehicle pulled slowly onto Frazier from nearby Woodland Avenue. He said Dr. McGinty had to change lanes to avoid a collision. He said Vega followed the McGinty vehicle for two blocks, then tried to cut him off near the wreck scene.
The prosecutor said the wreck happened when Vega turned his wheels 30 degrees toward the McGinty vehicle, then “slid off into a family of three” waiting for a light to cross in front of the business long known as the Little Art Shop.
Prosecutor Boers said a dash camera in the Vega vehicle recorded the whole “horrifying” incident.
However, Andrea Hayduk, of the public defender’s office, put the blame on Dr. McGinty, who was not charged.
She said the McGinty vehicle sped up after the other driver cut in front of him and caught up with Vega. She said it was McGinty who sent the Vega car “spinning into a tragic accident.”
The defense attorney said Vega was taken to jail after being treated at the hospital, while Dr. McGinty was only interviewed by police.
She said Dr. McGinty told police that after the wreck that Vega “was showng signs of shock.”
Prosecutor Boers said Mr. Devia Paz was a mechanic working on Navy ships, but he can no longer work and walks with a cane.
Mr. Devia Paz said the family had arrived in Chattanooga the day before for a short vacation. He said that morning they had breakfast, then walked across the Walnut Street Bridge. The last photo taken of his wife and child was at the Ed Johnson Memorial.
He said he was unconscious for three days, and when he awoke his family told him that his wife and son had died on impact.
He described his wife as “very joyful, a hard worker, and very human.” Of his son, he said, “He was a very loved child. People would pay attention to him.”
Mr. Devia Paz said he was at Erlanger Hospital for a month, then went to a rehab hospital. He said he suffered injuries to his shoulder, stomach, knees and legs, plus had a broken pelvis. He has undergone 24 operations. He said he now is sterile, and he has trouble sleeping.
He said, “On x rays, I look full of metal.”
The witness said, “I lost my wife and child. I don’t have a life.”