Five people are dead and three remain seriously injured after an early Sunday crash in Memphis, Tennessee. According to reports, two Memphis Police officers were responding to a man-down call near Flowering Peach Drive and Mendenhall Road when their vehicle collided with another car at Hickory Hill Road and Raines Road around 12:26 a.m.
Four occupants of the other vehicle died at the scene, and a fifth died later at the hospital. Two officers and two additional people were hospitalized in critical condition. Emergency response calls are among the most routine parts of a police officer’s shift, which makes a crash of this magnitude during a response especially difficult for the department and the surrounding community.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation, which is standard procedure when officers are involved in a fatal collision. Additional details are expected as investigators work through the scene and interview witnesses. Here on the Suncoast, stories like this hit close to home for anyone with ties to law enforcement, fire, or EMS.
If a story like this makes you think about the first responders in your own life, what would you want to say to them?
