By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–A Paris man was killed and his passenger seriously injured after a one-vehicle crash on East Wood Street Tuesday morning.
Jeff Thompson, age 58, apparently suffered a medical emergency and drove his Chevy pickup truck down a deep gully where he and the passenger became trapped in the vehicle.
His passenger, Robbie Thompson, age 67, told officers that he appeared to black out and fell over into her lap, causing the truck to veer off the road.
Paris Police, Henry County Rescue Squad, Henry County Sheriff’s deputies and other first responders arrived at the scene and worked to free the driver and passenger for over an hour. The gully is located between Paula Kelley’s Florist and Gifts and Highland Street.
A county backhoe was used to pull the pickup truck up from the gully.
According to the report, Thompson was driving eastbound around 10:30 a.m. when the accident occurred.
Robbie Thompson was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center with serious injuries.
Ridgeway Funeral Home in Paris has charge of arrangements, which were incomplete Wednesday morning. Jeff Thompson is survived by his wife Roxanne McGarity Thompson.
Photo: First responders work to pull pickup truck up from gully. (Shannon McFarlin photo).