By Brandon Ward
The Meridian Star, Miss.
MERIDIAN, Miss. — Funeral services for a Meridian paramedic killed in the line of duty will take place today.
William “Alan” Smith, 48, an EMT for ASAP Ambulance in Laurel, died in an accident Tuesday while responding to a call in Greene County.
The ambulance was traveling northbound on Highway 63 around noon, with its lights flashing but no siren sounding, when it tried to pass two 18-wheelers carrying loads, The Enterprise Journal reports.
The ambulance successfully passed the truck directly in front of it, but when the ambulance attempted to pass the lead semi truck, the driver suddenly made a left turn into the southbound lane and collided with the ambulance, Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop J spokesman Brent Barfield told The Enterprise Journal.
The ambulance and the truck burst into flames upon impact, killing Smith and another ambulance crew member, Dennis Rushing, 31. The driver of the semi-truck, Charles E. Bexley, 47, was taken by ambulance for treatment of injuries he sustained in the accident.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. today at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home.
In addition to his job as an EMT, Smith was also a volunteer firefighter at the South Fire Department in Meridian. He was a barber at Peeks Barber Shop for over 20 years.
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©2014 The Meridian Star (Meridian, Miss.)