LAFOLLETTE, Tenn. — Update 12:30 p.m.:
The names of the victims involved in the UTV accident have been released.
The deceased driver has been identified as 41-year-old Josh Mefford from LaFollette, while the passenger has been identified as 27-year-old Rick Violes from Oneida, according to the TWRA.
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One man has been killed and another seriously injured after driving off a 200-foot rock-high wall in Lafollete, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
On Nov. 9 around 8:30 p.m., the two men were leaving their jobs in a side-by-side UTV together when they drove onto the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area from Highway 63, TWRA says.
At some point during the night, the two drove off the rock wall in an area known as the sand mines. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and killed. The passenger who was wearing a seatbelt was knocked unconscious and was seriously injured, according to the TWRA.
The injured passenger reportedly regained consciousness around 3:30 a.m. and called 911. Rescue squads arrived at the accident scene and stabilized the passenger but were unable to move him due to the remoteness of the accident site, TWRA says.
The Agency says the passenger was then airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center around 9 a.m. The driver's body was recovered around 11:30 a.m.
This incident remains under investigation by TWRA.