MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The Blount County Sheriff's Office said that two people were dead after a car crash at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Officials said that Brandon Payne, 29, from Knoxville and Amanda Pack, 30, from Knoxville, was pronounced dead on the scene of a crash in Maryville.
They said that a deputy was on patrol along Morganton Road when a Nissan Versa nearly hit him. Officials said that the car was speeding with its lights on bright, so the deputy turned around to try and pull the car over. He called over the radio that his car was almost hit, officials said.
By the time the deputy turned around to stop the car, it was out of his sight, according to a release from the sheriff's office. The deputy activated his emergency equipment, trying to catch up with the Versa for around 5 miles.
As the driver of the Versa crossed the railroad tracks near Hopewell Road, the car went airborne and hit a tree in a yard on the right side of the road, officials said. Deputies tried to help the people, but they were pronounced dead on the scene, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
They said that no sheriff's deputies were involved in the crash and that no deputies were injured.
The Maryville Police Department is investigating the crash.