Investigator: Randy Vega went '100% throttle' before deadly Frazier Avenue crash

The Chattanooga police investigator who reconstructed the deadly Frazier Avenue crash stood by his conclusion Thursday that Randy Vega's actions, not a Chattanooga doctor's, caused the collision that killed a mother and her infant son in November 2023. Joe Warren, a veteran investigator with Chattanooga Police Department's Traffic Division, spent hours walking jurors through crash data, steering inputs and dash camera footage collected during the investigation. During cross-examination, defense attorneys repeatedly questioned Warren about McGinty's speed and driving behavior in the seconds before the crash. But Warren ultimately testified that McGinty's actions were not what sent Vega's minivan into a building and a family of three. “Was Dr. McGinty's acceleration standing alone, enough to make the defendant's vehicle leave the lane of travel?” “No sir,” Warren responded. Defense attorneys later asked Warren whether McGinty's vehicle was simply present at the scene while Vega caused the crash. “That would be the correct way to say that,” Warren testified. “The defendant made a lane change and struck Dr. McGinty's vehicle and then went out of control.” The testimony focused on what happened in the seconds before Vega's minivan left the roadway, struck a building and killed Ana Posso and her 11-month-old son Jonathan Paz . Warren testified that crash data recovered from the minivan showed the accelerator was fully depressed before impact. “For whatever reason, the driver of this vehicle was flooring it before he hit the building,” Warren told jurors. “It was 100% throttle. The data showed the minivan was traveling more than 50 miles per hour before it struck the building, according to Warren. “Over 50 miles per hour?” “That's correct, sir,” Warren responded. Jurors also heard testimony about braking. Warren said the vehicle's brake lights illuminated shortly before impact, but the brakes themselves were never meaningfully applied. “Enough to activate the light, but not enough to produce braking force,” Warren testified. When prosecutors asked whether Vega made any meaningful attempt to stop the vehicle, Warren answered, “No sir.” The testimony comes as prosecutors and defense attorneys continue battling over what happened between Vega's minivan and a pickup truck driven by Chattanooga doctor Patrick McGinty. Defense attorneys have argued McGinty's truck struck the rear of Vega's van and set the crash in motion. Prosecutors contend Vega made an abrupt lane change into McGinty's path before losing control. Read more: Who hit whom? Chattanooga doctor's role emerges as key dispute in Randy Vega trial Investigator Warren testified that steering data from the minivan showed what appeared to be a sudden move to the left about three seconds before the crash. “Three seconds prior ... there's a sudden change to the left,” Warren told jurors. He said the steering inputs shown in the data matched what he observed in dash camera footage. The investigator testified that Vega later steered right while the vehicle was sliding, which Warren described as the correct response for someone trying to regain control. But he said the driver then turned left again. “That left steering would put him back in the path of the store and the family, correct?” “Unfortunately that is correct,” Warren replied. Warren also testified that continuing to accelerate made recovery less likely. “You’re not going to recover by continuing to accelerate,” he said. Near the end of direct examination, Warren summarized what he believes happened during the final seconds before impact. He said there was way too much speed for the van to make an abrupt lane change where the other vehicle was in that heavily populated area. He told jurors the minivan collided with McGinty's truck, lost control and then continued accelerating. “Instead of trying to regain control, continues to accelerate ... half a second before impact, steers back into the building,” Warren said. Defense attorneys spent much of their cross-examination focusing on the actions of Chattanooga doctor Patrick McGinty, whose pickup truck collided with Vega's minivan moments before the crash. Warren agreed that both vehicles were accelerating after leaving a red light. “At that point they're both accelerating,” Warren testified. “Yes,” he answered when asked if both drivers accelerated rapidly. The investigator also agreed that Vega's movement into the left lane could be described as cutting over in front of McGinty's truck. “I'd almost describe it as cutting over into the left lane,” Warren testified. Jurors also heard testimony that Warren considered whether the collision may have been driven by fear rather than anger. Discussing his investigation into McGinty's actions, Warren testified that he looked for evidence supporting a road-rage theory. “I was looking for reasons that would support a road rage incident,” Warren told jurors. “I found reasons that support a motive out of fear.” Defense attorneys also highlighted the short time frame involved in the crash. “We're looking into a window here that's a real short time. Is that correct?” “Yes it is,” Warren responded. Prosecutors asked Warren to characterize the driving behavior shown in the data and videos. “A reckless action that resulted in this tragedy, unfortunately,” Warren responded. The trial continues Thursday afternoon. Depend on us to keep you posted.