When their aircraft crashed in a rural area after colliding with power lines, two Tennessee law enforcement officers perished. As emergency personnel searched for the scene of the incident, lines fell across an interstate and lanes of the highway were shut down, according to officials.
According to Highway Patrol Capt. Travis Plotzer, the collision in Marion County on Tuesday afternoon claimed the lives of a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer and a Marion County deputy sheriff. At a news conference, he declined to answer any questions and their names were not immediately revealed.
He said that an inquiry was being launched by the National Transportation Safety Board.
According to officials, the power lines on Aetna Mountain in Whiteside, Tennessee, were struck by the chopper and fell across Interstate 24. Despite not releasing their names, officials have confirmed that a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer and a Marion County deputy died in the helicopter crash. “Law enforcement is having a very tragic day today.
