TENNESSEE DEPUTY STRUCK BY CAR

A Jefferson County sheriff's deputy was sent to the hospital last night after being struck by a car while directing traffic.

The unidentified deputy had responded to a tractor trailer wreck on Highway 411 near the Cocke County line when the accident happened.

County dispatchers tell 6 News that the deputy was able to radio for help at around 10:15. At that time, he was reportedly complaining of severe neck pain and may have suffered one or more leg fractures.

A Lifeforce helicopter airlifted the deputy to UT Medical Center where he remains as of Thursday morning.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has not released his name or condition

A sheriff's deputy is in the hospital with some broken bones after being hit by a car. The Tennessee Highway Patrol says Sheriff's Deputy Ben Hammer responded to the scene of a broken down tractor trailer last night on U.S. Highway 411.

"While the officer was directing traffic around this broken down vehicle, that's when he was struck," says Lt. Jerry Higgs with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Higgs says the driver of the car that hit deputy Hammer, Troy Turner, was on his way to work.

"In the driver's statement, (Turner) said he did not see the officer," says Lt. Higgs. Deputy hammer was airlifted to U.T. Medical Center. He has some broken bones and is listed in stable condition. Officers have not yet determined if there will be any charges.