Knoxville family desperate for answers months after they say father of six was killed on his way to work

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Back in February, the Knoxville Police Department reported Juan Gonzales was trying to cross a North Broadway intersection when he was hit by a car. The driver wasn’t charged and the case was closed almost immediately; however, the family told WVLT News their quest for answers is still going.

“I feel like we’re not being heard, we’re not being helped enough,” Leslie Ortiz, Gonzales’ wife, said.

His daughter Naiya Maldonado said on February 21, the father of six had to walk to work because his car was out of service at the time. According to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the reality is drivers are not always held responsible for a pedestrian crash.

A KPD spokesperson told WVLT News after a fatal crash in Knoxville, a specially-trained crash investigator “reconstructs the scene to identify the contributing factors that led to that crash.” Those findings are sent to the district attorney’s office, which then makes a decision regarding prosecution, “to include if charges are warranted.”

Maldonado said even with the case closed, they want everyone to stay safe and are calling on a plan for pedestrians at this intersection.

“At least a sidewalk or something because there are a lot of youth and not a lot of people have transportation up here,” Maldonado said.

The family is still looking for an attorney that will take time to review the documents sent to the DA’s office.

DSHS reported there were a total of 50 pedestrian-involved crashes in 2022, which is half of the number of cases from 2021.

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