Tragedy struck on a Saturday night in Jefferson County when a paramedic lost his life and another was left injured following a serious collision on I-40 near the I-81 interchange. According to WVLT, the late paramedic, Jeremy Sutton, and his colleague, Sarah Brooks, were both on board the Jefferson County ambulance which was responding to another accident. "It was hit by the commercial vehicle," said Brad Phillips, the Director of Jefferson County EMS.
The crash, happening around 9:30 PM, led to severe congestion along the highways, with various lanes closing down and traffic only slowly passing the incident site, as per a report by WBIR. The ambulance was attempting to cross over to I-40 East when the crash took place. The tractor-trailer, according to preliminary details from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, was merging onto I-40 West from I-81 when it collided with the ambulance.
Phillips detailed that both paramedics were swiftly transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. However, Sutton's injuries proved fatal shortly after arrival, as he passed away in the hospital. Brooks remains in stable condition, as detailed by WVLT News.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jeremy Sutton our assistant chief of the department," declared the Jefferson County rescue squad, in a statement obtained by WBIR. "Please keep his EMS partner Sarah in your prayers as she recovers from her injuries over the coming months," the statement continued, revealing the deep mourning of the community over what had transpired.
