A 28 year old man was seriously injured Saturday afternoon and airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga after a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend.
Trooper Allen England of the Tennessee Highway Patrol says Amador Zetina Gomez of 1105 Vaughn Lane, an employee of Zelenka Nursery, suffered serious facial injuries and possibly others after he fell from a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by 40 year old Rhonda Jo Suarez of Banks Pisgah Road.
Trooper England says he was dispatched to 1105 Vaughn Lane Saturday around 3:27 p.m. to investigate a non-injury traffic accident involving a pedestrian. Upon further investigation, it was determined to be a domestic dispute between Gomez and Suarez.
According to Trooper England, Suarez, the driver of the Jeep Cherokee, was sitting in the vehicle talking to Gomez. The conversation erupted into an argument and Gomez reached into the driver’s side window and grabbed Suarez by her shirt. She then accelerated the vehicle and traveled across the parking lot with Gomez still holding on to her through the window. Gomez then fell from the window of the vehicle and hit the ground. Suarez made a U-turn, came back, and then stopped beside Gomez to check on him.
Gomez was airlifted from the scene by a Life Force helicopter ambulance and flown to Erlanger Hospital.
According to Suarez and other witnesses, Gomez had been drinking but it could not be verified how much or how long he had been drinking leading up to this incident.
Witnesses say both Gomez and Suarez have been involved in domestic disputes with each other before on several occasions.
Suarez is a former employee of Zelenka Nursery and according to Trooper England, company officials have asked her on numerous occasions before not to be on the property.
Suarez was cited for improper vehicle registration and violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance). The case is under review by the District Attorney General’s Office to determine if further charges should be filed in the case.
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