Part of the construction team hired to rebuild East Nashville after two devastating tornadoes ravaged much of the area in March 2020, 28-year-old Chip Goodman, a roofer with Raise the Roof, Inc., tumbled from a 12-story building when a tarp torn loose by a heavy gust of wind knocked him off balance, sending him tumbling to the ground below. Although rushed to the hospital immediately, the bleeding and unconscious Goodman died after testing positive for COVID-19.
“He was so young to be taken by coronavirus,” said Goodman’s mother, 67-year-old Belle Goodman. “My husband and I thought that we were the only ones at risk. Little did we know that this disease affects everyone, not just seniors.”
Goodman’s mother added that, had she known of the true danger posed by COVID-19, she would have taken social distancing recommendations much more seriously. “As a family, we were often sometimes slack in maintaining a full six feet between us,” she said. “We’ll have to live with that.”
Goodman’s girlfriend, Brittney Potts, stated, “I’m just grateful Chip was able to be tested. Otherwise, we might never have known his true cause of death. This is why testing's so important."
Goodman’s father, 66-year-old Ryan Goodman, described his eldest son as an adrenaline junkie who rode his bike everywhere, grew his own vegetables, and was always trying to get everyone to go vegan. "More than anything, though, Chip hated being called a hipster," said his dad. "It would have just about killed him to hear that he died of the hippest virus since HIV." He chuckled wryly and shook his head. "Fate has an extremely twisted sense of humor, is all I can say.”
