Surviving victim testifies on opening day of Randy Vega trial
Ana Posso Rodriguez and her son Jonathan Delvia shortly before they were killed in a fatal 2023 Northshore crash.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- “We had walked the bridge, went to a restaurant, and we were going to go to the Tennessee Aquarium. We never made it there.”
A fatal crash that occurred two and a half years ago on Frazier Avenue changed the Chattanooga Northshore.
Now, the suspect charged in that case is facing his trial.
While day one was primarily about picking a jury, we did finally get to hear from both the prosecution and defense in their opening statements in the Randy Vega trial.
We also got to hear from the lone surviving victim, who recounted the moments before his wife and one year old son were killed.
Octavio Paz said through an interpreter that he, along with his wife 41 year old Ana Posso Rodriguez and their one year old son Jonathan Delvia were visiting Chattanooga on vacation from Jacksonville, Florida on November 25, 2023.
Paz described his wife as, “A very joyful person, a hard worker, and very human.”
He said of his son, “He was a very loved child. People would pay attention to him, and he was a very healthy child.”
However, while planning to walk back across the Walnut Street Bridge to visit the Tennessee Aquarium, the whole family was struck by a vehicle Chattanooga Police say was driven by Randy Vega.
He is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide while intoxicated among other charges in that Frazier Avenue crash.
Prosecutors argue that Vega, while under the influence, was driving aggressively on purpose leading to a collision with another vehicle, launching into the Walnut Bridge Gift Shop and the sidewalk in front of it.
Prosecutor Sean Boers said, “Randy Vega quickly overtook Dr. McGinty’s vehicle, and when he believed he had enough space in an apparent attempt to cut Dr. McGinty off, he rapidly cut his wheel about 30 degrees.”
Vega’s public defenders argue that the crash was just an accident, and that neither driver intended to kill anyone.
Public defender Andrea Hayduk said, “It is very possible for you to determine that the state proves to you that Randy Vega was that was either impaired or his BAC is over .08, and still find that he was not liable for the accident.”
Octavio Paz says that he now lives with the pain of losing his family every single day.
Paz said, “Before the accident, I had no pain, but after the accident, I could no longer sleep because of the pain on my pelvis and legs… if you see my x-rays, I am full of metal.”
The prosecution will continue to present its case on Wednesday.
