A young Livingston man was killed and another seriously injured Wednesday night, June 13 when the bicycles they were riding were struck by a vehicle near Flat Creek bridge on Highway 85 in Overton County.

The accident happened shortly before 9 p.m. involving three bicycle riders–including James LeFew, approximately 16 years of age, who was killed–and two other male youths from Livingston who were around the same age, according to Capt. R.C. Christian of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

According to THP reports, the young men were riding their bicycles, which had no reflecting devices, in the eastbound lane of Highway 85, when all three were struck by a 1995 Chevy pick-up truck being driven by 84-year-old Carl Barlow of Livingston.

“He was eastbound on Highway 85 and was passing a slow-moving vehicle, and when he was passing the vehicle he encountered the boys on the bicycles who were in the eastbound lane,” Christian said.

THP was notified of the accident at 8:55 p.m., just minutes after the Overton County Sheriff’s Department received call from the Livingston Ambulance Service to dispatch a deputy to check on the boys.

“Apparently, the ambulance service was coming in off another call and called the sheriff’s department to tell them they needed to send a deputy out to Highway 85 because there were kids riding bikes and it was dark and you couldn’t see them until you were right up on them,” Christian said.

The accident happened approximately five minutes later.

Christian added, “My understanding is that the bicycles didn’t have any lights on them, and the boys weren’t wearing helmets.”

LeFew and one of the other bicycle riders were airlifted from the scene to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and LeFew died from his injuries.

THP Trooper Andrew Goolsby worked the accident.