Investigator David Cowan and other Chattanooga Police investigators work the scene where a cyclist was struck by a vehicle off of Browns Ferry Road on November, 16, 2016. Here's the latest update on the 17-year-old student that was killed riding his bicycle.
A 17-year-old boy was struck and killed while riding a bicycle to school on Browns Ferry Road early this morning, authorities said.
J.T. Pruitt was struck as he crossed the five-lane highway on his bicycle around 7 a.m. The teenager was crossing diagonally from the left side of the road to the right side just over the crest of a hill, police said.
He was struck in the far right lane by driver Kimberly Hartman, 37, who said she couldn't see Pruitt until she came over the hill and he was right in front of her. She couldn't avoid hitting him, although she swerved and braked, police said.
Pruitt was a student at Lookout Valley Middle/High School and was struck about one mile from the school. Browns Ferry Road has bike lanes on both sides.
Hartman stopped and called 911 after the incident, has given a statement to police and is cooperating, Sgt. Justin Kilgore said. Neither alcohol nor speed contributed to the crash.
The student's mangled bicycle lay in the middle of the far right lane, back tire bent out of shape, as investigators worked the scene in the hours after the incident. A sneaker, laces still tied, sat nearby.
Hartman's car was stopped a few feet ahead of the bicycle, in the same lane.
Pruitt was taken to Erlanger after the incident, where he succumbed to his injuries, Kilgore said. He couldn't immediately say whether the student was wearing a helmet.
Students at Lookout Valley Middle/High School were told about Pruitt's death around 8 a.m., said Amy Katcher, communications coordinator for the Hamilton County school system.
"The student was well-known and well-liked," she said.
She said counselors were at the school on Wednesday.
"Everyone is grieving and mourning," she said.