The city of Chattanooga has agreed to pay a $600,000 as settlement of lawsuits brought in connection with a wreck in which a UTC student died and four others were injured when their car was hit by a city police vehicle. The total settlement is $1.1 million with the remainder coming from insurance coverage for the driver of the student vehicle and uother insurance coverage.
As a result of a recent mediation, the city and other parties settled the claims of the family of Vanessa Kathryn Free and the four other UTC students arising out of the Nov. 17, 2002, accident.
The officer involved, Matthew Vandergriff, has since resigned from the city police department.
He was found to be at fault, but was not criminally charged.
Knoxville attorney Howard Vogel was the mediator.
The accident occurred at the intersection of M.L. King and Douglas Streets near the UTC campus. A Chattanooga police car driven by former Officer Vandergriff was traveling east on M.L. King and struck a Saturn driven by Renee Krueger and occupied by fellow students, Vanessa Free, Leticia Skae, Adrienne Teague and Jessica Watts. Ms. Krueger and the other students were attempting to cross M.L. King from Douglas Street.
Officer Vandegriff was responding as a back-up car to assist in a traffic stop of a vehicle that had fled the scene of a reported fight involving approximately 20 people.
City officials said, "The investigation of the accident showed that Officer Vandergriff was traveling too fast for conditions and proceeded through the traffic light on M.L. King without utilizing due caution. Ms. Free died at the scene of the accident and the other students were transported to Erlanger Hospital. Mr. Vandergriff subsequently resigned from the Chattanooga Police Department."
Ms. Free, who was 18 at the time of the accident, was a 2002 graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport. She was a pledge of Kappa Delta Sorority and sang first soprano with the Singing Mocs and the Chattanooga Singers.
Newly appointed Police Chief Steve Parks said he has personally offered condolences and apologies to the students and their families. He said he will adopt new training methods "that will keep police officers focused on proper emergency vehicle operation on a year-round basis."