Chattanooga police Officer Steve Wiertel aids in the investigation of a crash where three youth were ejected from a Nissan pickup near the 4900 block of Adams road in Hixson in this January 20, 2014, file photo.The 17-year-old driver from the traffic crash Monday at 4900 Adams Road has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide by impairment, vehicular assault and driving on a suspended license.
The unidentified driver also had an outstanding juvenile attachment for escaping from a juvenile facility in Memphis on January 11th of this year.
A 15-year-old freshman at Hixson High School, Michael Wolfe, was killed when he was thrown from a pickup that spun out of control as it rounded a curve on Adams Road and wrapped around a tree.
Authorities said his 17-year-old sister and the driver were also thrown from the vehicle. Wolfe's sister was listed in critical condition at a local hospital.
The truck was traveling east when it swerved. Police said the driver over corrected and lost control before crossing the other lane and going airborne. The truck smashed into the tree and wrapped around it before landing on the driver's side of the truck.
Wolfe's death marks the first traffic fatality of the year for Chattanooga.