Motorcycle Fatality at 100 Market Street

[Chattanooga Police]

Chattanooga Police are working a traffic fatality involving a motorcycle at 100 Market St. One person has been confirmed dead and another is in critical condition.

According to witnesses, the rider was travelling southbound on the Market Street Bridge when they lost control of the vehicle. The rider was transported to Erlanger Hospital with head trauma.

A second individual died at the scene. It is unknown whether the DOA was riding or was a pedestrian. Traffic investigators are reconstructing the scene to determine the nature of events.

The Market Street Bridge will be closed until measurements are completed. Riverbend patrons are encouraged to seek alternative routes.

Sgt Jerri Weary
Chattanooga Police Department

[Chattanooga Police]

Chattanooga Police now know the identities of two people involved in a collision at 100 Market Street last evening.

18-yr-old Vincent S Proffitt was riding his motorcycle across the Market Street Bridge when he lost control of his bike and struck 50-yr-old Judy Bradford as she was crossing from the east to the west side of the bridge.

Bradford was pronounced dead on the scene. Proffitt was taken to Erlanger Hospital for head trauma. His current condition is unknown.

Police are considering drugs, alcohol and speed as contributing factors however; charges are pending blood test results.

Sgt Jerri Weary, PIO
Chattanooga Police Department

[Homebrew Dave]

The "victim" was a known crack addict with multiple drug arrests. I know Vince's dad. Vince is a good kid. He "lost control" trying to avoid hitting her as she blithely walked out in front of him while stoned out of her mind. Vince is in the hospital with head trauma. He's improving but he's seriously hurt. And once he recovers, he still has to face life knowing that he ended someone else's.

Dave

[k78]

Dave,
Rumor mill says he was doing a wheely while speeding over the bridge. Is there any truth to that? And do we know at this point what his blood tests revealed? Sorry to ask, but if this is not true and his tests were clean, it would be nice to know that.

[Homebrew Dave]

I don't have any information about him doing a wheelie or speeding. His dad didn't mention that. I asked about the possibility of him having been intoxicated and was told flat out that he wasn't on anything.

Dave

[tncoaster37]

Dave, witnesses have said he was doing a wheelie and hot dogging it across the Market Screet Bridge. It doesn't matter if the lady was a crackhead or not. The lady was killed by Proffitt's actions.

[Homebrew Dave]

Whatever, coaster.

[LimitedRecourse]

There is more to this than has been posted. The official version will not make people happy.

[Laura Rice]

That just sounds really bad, LR... but that's reality, right?!?

[tncoaster37]

Dave, the witnesses was on TV giving thier statement on what was going on. Proffit was popping wheelies and hotdogging it on a crotch rocket cycle. I feel sorry for the lady that died but you have to admit that Proffit was the one who caused the death. They haven't released his alcohol level yet.

[TNBear]

I'm not sure what happened, I do know I drove across the bridge moments after it happened. We got to sit in the car right next to the womans body. Not a happy end to our evening.

[k78]

Jun 16, 2008 15:14:02 GMT -5 LimitedRecourse said:

There is more to this than has been posted. The official version will not make people happy.

So, are you telling or must you keep quiet? Happy or not, I would prefer to know the truth.

[LimitedRecourse]

All police reports are public record.

[k78]

Jun 17, 2008 9:23:25 GMT -5 LimitedRecourse said:

All police reports are public record.

Yeah, but I would have to go down and buy a copy, right? Are you saying you won't post what happened here? I understand if you would prefer not to.

[LimitedRecourse]

I'm saying that if you really MUST have the information, it is available.

[Gary]

I've emailed Sgt. Weary to find out if Vincent Proffitt has been been charged with anything.

[Laura Rice]

Is the investigation over?

[Gary]

Sgt. Weary's prompt reply to my email:

He hasn't yet been charged. This is a traffic fatality and the procedure for prosecuting cases like this is that the investigator obtains a subpoena for blood work, medical files etc. Once the items are obtained, they're sent off to the TBI lab in Nashville for analysis.

The findings normally take between 60-90 days. Once they come back the investigator takes his findings to the DA along with the necessary charges and then the person is arrested if results warrant an arrest. Additionally, the dynamics of the accident are taken into consideration.

As for this case, we should know more by the end of July.

So there you have it, folks. Unlike television, bloodwork is not done in 20 minutes.

[Laura Rice]

I wondered how that investigation went so fast... They normally don't let you know anything if it is ongoing.

[k78]

Jun 17, 2008 9:37:30 GMT -5 LimitedRecourse said:

I'm saying that if you really MUST have the information, it is available.

I understand that part of what you were saying. It's the other part I was wondering about. I don't HAVE to know. I would just like to know and would have preferred you just tell me (if you could) without me having to go down and purchase a police report. We have wonderful resources here that know the situation. To bring it up and say that there is more to this than has been posted and that the official version will not make people happy and then not tell me, just teases me. I would rather you not say anything if you weren't going to tell. Just my preference.

However, I will say this, with the reports that I have read, and other law enforcement making comments on other forums such as "motorcycle came to her, as she was walking on the sidewalk" clues me in a little more anyway.

Guess it's just my preference to know the truth. That's all I'm saying. Knowing that there is more to the story, just leaves me wondering what the hell really happened.

[Gary]

just leaves me wondering what the hell really happened.

I am not a member of law enforcement, but I did talk to a lot of people after the incident, including LE and eyewitnesses - amazing what a simple press badge will do to get people to talk.

The consensus from what I was able to get from a variety of people was that Judy Bradford was walking across the bridge towards the Riverbend site and stepped out into the street to get around a group of people who had stopped, blocking the sidewalk (an all too common occurrence at Riverbend, part of the "we're the only important people here" mentality).

Vincent Proffitt was allegedly showing off on his motorcycle, and had the bike up in a wheelie when Bradford stepped out into the street. Being unable to see directly in front of him, he impacted her directly.

This is what was told to me by eyewitnesses. There was lots of other speculation that cannot be confirmed at this time - most notably whether or not either party was under the influence of anything - which will have to wait until the bloodwork come back from the lab and a full accident investigation is performed and submitted officially to the DA's office.

[k78]

Yeah, Gary, that's what I heard too. However, LR sparked an interest with his initial comment. And then another LEO on another forum mentioned the fact that she was ON the sidewalk and the kid ran into her. So here I am, just wondering. Curiosity, cat, and all that other crap.

[Warkitty]

Leave me out of it.

[LimitedRecourse]

All that I could have said has been relayed by others on the forum...once bloodwork returns, the full story will be revealed. The proximity to the sidewalk has led to some contradiction as to the place of impact. This should ALSO be cleared up once Traffic Division releases the reconstruction info.

[TNBear]

All I can say is that the bike was on the pavement near the west side of the bridge and the womans body was almost on the center line, slightly to the west.

[tcrashfx]

All I can say is that the bike was on the pavement near the west side of the bridge and the womans body was almost on the center line, slightly to the west.

I was there. I concur with the aforementioned facts as stated above.

But there are a few others at other places, who weren't there at all and who will fill the rest of us in on the exacts facts and circumstances involved and could have done so within 30 seconds of the crash itself. These people can assign blame before the victims are buried and/or released from the hospital.

But the BS one would have to sift through is just not worth the trip. I think I'll just wait for the appropriate time to comment on this one.

[k78]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the info!

[Gary]

Are those the ending positions or the starting positions? One would imagine that a body would travel a bit after being hit.

[TNBear]

What I saw was the aftermath, so soon after that I saw only one officer and no blue or red lights. It looked as if the bridge was closed to traffic just a few vehicles after we got through. Mrs. Bear was driving and said a large vehicle turned to block traffic.
I have no idea of the "starting positions", and I am ever so glad that I got there after it happened. Seeing a body and seeing someone killed are two different things.

[Tsavodiner]

The "victim" was a known crack addict with multiple drug arrests.

Well, I guess that makes it alright for some jackoff on a donorcycle to kill her, then.

And to think you, of all people, were raising hell over my suggestion to execute an already convicted murderer with ties to several other heinous crimes.