Jeff Porter's Wife Dies In Car Accident

[mookie3127]

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111231&content_id=26250408&vkey=news_atl&c_id=atl

Braves trainer's wife dies in car accident

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | 12/31/11 11:49 PM EST

ATLANTA -- Braves head athletic trainer Jeff Porter's wife Kathy died on Saturday afternoon after the family's sports utility vehicle collided with a Georgia State Patrol cruiser less than a mile north of Turner Field.

Porter was driving through the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive when the police cruiser slammed into his Ford Expedition. Kathy Porter, 54, suffered fatal injuries, while her husband and 19-year-old son David were treated for non-critical injuries.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez and first-base coach Terry Pendleton were among the members of the Braves organization who spent time with Porter and his son after Saturday's tragic accident.

The Braves issued the following statement:

"The Braves family is deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the tragic accident today involving the family of head athletic trainer Jeff Porter and the death of his wife, Kathy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and Kathy's family, their son, David, and all their friends and loved ones."

Multiple media outlets have reported that the unidentified state police officer was attempting to assist other police officers with a high-speed chase on nearby I-20. The trooper was treated for injuries at Grady Memorial Hospital and released.

Porter has been with the Braves since joining Atlanta's training staff in 1985. He became the club's head athletic trainer in 2003.

[ATLBrave]

Condolences go out to Jeff and his family. Such a terrible tragedy.

[Dawggone]

Heart-felt condolescences to Jeff and family.

[young mr. grace]

An absolutely terrible tragedy. I've heard that Jeff is one of the most beloved people in the Braves organization. I hope a fair investigation is done and the police don't simply blame Jeff in order to protect one of their own.

[mookie3127]

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/witness-gives-account-of-1283677.html

Witness gives account of tragic wreck involving Braves trainer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Georgia State Patrol released few details Sunday about a crash that killed the wife of Braves trainer Jeff Porter, but one witness said the trooper was speeding moments before the collision.

Steve Bouye, who said he is employed with the federal prison system in Atlanta, had just gotten off work when he saw the trooper's cruiser zoom past at around 4:40 p.m. Saturday, he told the AJC. Bouye said he was preparing to turn out of a BP gas station at the time.

"As soon as I saw him go past I said ‘man I hope he don't hit nobody," Bouye said. "Seconds later I heard a big blast like a train crash."

Authorities said the cruiser struck a sport utility vehicle driven by Jeff Porter at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive in downtown Atlanta. Kathy Porter died at the scene. Jeff Porter, his son David, 19, and a fourth passenger, Courtney Ann Williams, 18, of Grayson, also were hurt. Their conditions were not available Sunday.

The family was reportedly on the way to the Chick-Fil-A bowl.

Trooper First Class Donald Crozier, a 10-year veteran, was en route to assist in a chase on nearby Interstate 20. He was released from Grady Memorial Hospital after being treated for injuries Saturday night, according to Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright.

Wright said the agency's Specialized Reconstruction Team was working with the state Department of Public Safety's Special Investigation Division, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office to investigate the crash. He said no new details were available Sunday and no accident report would be available until Tuesday when the office reopens.

"Any personnel actions related to the crash will be based on the findings of the various investigations," Wright added.

The trooper's lights and sirens were activated, according to Wright.

Bouye said that the trooper probably had difficulty seeing the stoplight at the intersection, since it was at the crest of a hill.

Bouye said he and Jeff Porter tried unsuccessfully to pry open the door and free Kathy Porter as she faded in and out of consciousness after the wreck. Bouye said he didn't realize that she had died until officers draped a white sheet over her.

"We had people out there trying to help an innocent family," Bouye said. "I know it caught them off-guard. It was sad. It bothered me the whole day yesterday. You could just tell that was a good loving family."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7410045/wife-atlanta-braves-trainer-dies-crash-police-cruiser

Wife of Braves trainer killed in crash

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves offered its condolences over the weekend to head trainer Jeff Porter, saying the team was "deeply saddened" after Porter's wife Kathy died in what authorities described as a collision between a Georgia State Patrol cruiser and an SUV driven by the trainer.

"The Braves family is deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the tragic accident," the team said in an emailed statement hours after the crash Saturday afternoon. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and Kathy's family, their son David and all their friends and loved ones."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Porter and his wife and two others were on their way to the Chick-fil-A-Bowl at the time, about 4:40 p.m. Saturday.

State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said in an email statement late Saturday that the state trooper was traveling with emergency lights and siren activated Saturday afternoon when the cruiser struck a Ford Expedition driven by Jeff Porter at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Capitol Avenue.

Wright said the trooper, who had been traveling westbound on Memorial Drive, was going to assist another trooper who was attempting to stop a motorcyclist on nearby Interstate 20, west of the Downtown Connector. Wright said that motorcyclist had failed to yield.

The trooper "was not involved in a chase but going to assist another trooper," Wright said in an email Sunday evening.

According to Wright, the patrol car collided with the Ford Expedition that was northbound on Capitol Avenue, hitting the SUV on the passenger's side. The statement said the SUV then struck a utility pole.

Kathy Porter, 54, of Loganville, a passenger in the SUV, died in the crash, Wright's statement to The Associated Press said. It added that Jeff Porter and two other passengers in the SUV- the couple's 19-year-old son David and a friend, Courtney Ann Williams, 18, of Grayson -- were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries. All three were released later Saturday.

The Georgia State Patrol on Sunday night identified the officer as Trooper First Class Donald Crozier, a 10-year veteran.

He was examined at the same hospital and released. He has been placed on administrative leave as state police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Fulton County District Attorney's office investigate. Wright said the State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team was dispatched to the crash scene to help determine the cause.

"Any personnel actions related to the crash will be based on the findings of the various investigations," Wright wrote.

According to an MLB.com article posted on the Braves web site, former manager Bobby Cox, manager Fredi Gonzales and catcher Brian McCann went to the hospital to be with Jeff Porter after the accident. The article said Porter joined Atlanta's training staff in 1985 and has been head trainer since 2003.

Just my opinion, but it sounds as if the officer failed to slow down at the intersection, especially an intersection that a 10 year veteran should know is at the crest of a hill. I know that there are times that I don't hear an ambulance or see their lights until they are right on me, so I can imagine the difficulty that the Porter's might have had if traffic coming from a differnt direction could't see them. I'm sure it was 100% an accident, but if the witness accounts are true, there appears to be quite a bit of neglagince and a lack of safety/concern on the officers part.

[usmcdirtybird]

RIP. We will all pray for their family.