Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Hugh May was killed when the horse-drawn wagon he was transporting prisoners in was struck by a train on Cowart Street in Chattanooga. The railroad crossing watchman waved him across, and as he was crossing, an engine that was backing up struck him, causing serious injuries. The engineer and watchman then refused to move the train, which was blocking the only route to the hospital. Both were arrested and charged with murder in connection with Patrolman May's death. Patrolman May had been with the Chattanooga Police Department for 19 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and ten children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-2BA4CDAD- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman May gave the Chattanooga Police Department 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chattanooga community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman May.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Hugh Clark May is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Chattanooga Police Department, 4 of 27 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 14.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Hugh Clark May's cause is highlighted.
How Hugh Clark May Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Hugh Clark May is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
26 officers from Chattanooga Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
