CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A 42-year-old man was left in critical condition after a Jeep struck him while he was on foot crossing Lee Highway in Chattanooga on Friday night.
Chattanooga Police Department officers were sent to the 7000 block of Lee Highway at about 7:15 p.m. after a caller reported that someone had been hit by a vehicle.
Early findings from the department’s Traffic and DUI investigators show a Jeep Grand Cherokee heading north on the highway hit the man as he tried to get across. He was rushed to a hospital with injuries police described as life-threatening.
The Jeep’s driver did not leave and has worked with investigators, police said. No charges had been announced as of Saturday.
The stretch has seen this before. In July, the department reported that a 38-year-old man died after an eastbound vehicle hit him as he crossed the 6200 block of Lee Highway late on a Saturday night. That driver also stopped and stayed at the scene, and Hamilton County EMS took the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The city has been working on the broader problem. In July, Chattanooga leaders sent the City Council a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that includes a Vision Zero policy aimed at cutting traffic deaths, and the city applied for another federal Safe Streets for All grant to spread crash-detection technology to more roads and update rescue equipment. City officials said a data platform built with earlier grant money helps planners spot risky roadways before crashes happen.
The department is asking anyone who saw the crash or has other details to call 423-698-2525.
Section: More Chattanooga TN crime news
Filed under: Chattanooga TN Traffic News
