UPDATED - RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - An elderly gentleman was struck and killed by an oncoming car while attempting to lend a helping hand Friday morning. The incident took place at around 5:30 in the morning on the Shelbyville Highway (231 South), 1-mile south of Christiana Middle and Christiana Elementary Schools.
86-year-old Jerry Smotherman reportedly saw that a motorist had been involved in an accident and stopped to assist those on the scene of the busy state highway.
The first accident — along with the second that tragically followed — occurred within feet of one another on Highway 231 South in Christiana, just outside the Murfreesboro city limits. Firefighters, State Troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), and deputies from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office all responded immediately after the first call was made to dispatchers. Upon arrival, authorities quickly shut down the four-lane divided highway between Richmond’s Retreat and Walnut Grove Road.
A THP report released to WGNS indicated that the Good Samaritan who was killed was making his way toward the wrecked vehicle when he was struck by another driver. The preliminary report stated that Smotherman was hit and killed as he attempted to cross the highway to aid the crash victim.
According to the report, 37-year-old Carl D. Bailey, driving a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu toward Shelbyville, collided with Smotherman in the first lane of traffic — commonly referred to as the passing lane. After striking the elderly man, Bailey pulled to the shoulder of the road as other drivers stopped in the middle of the highway or pulled to the side of the road. Sadly, Smotherman died at the scene.
The initial THP report notes that no charges have been filed against Bailey at this time. The accident remains under investigation.