MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has identified the deputy who continues to fight for his life after a motorcycle crash.
Sergeant Samuel C. Lilley remains at Regional One Health in extremely critical condition following a motorcycle accident on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. The deputy was one of two injured that morning in separate crashes on Highway 64 in Lakeland, authorities said.
“I encourage the community to keep this brave deputy in their thoughts and prayers during this challenging time,” said Sheriff Floyd Bonner in a statement. “I am amazed at the love and support that the men and women of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the citizens of Shelby County, have poured out for Sergeant Lilley.”
The sheriff’s office said Sergeant Lilley’s family wants to thank the public for their support. According to a GoFundMe established to help the family during his recovery, he remains on life support and is in a medical coma.
Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) investigators said two drivers were cited in the crashes.
A spokesperson with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) said a deputy riding a motorcycle was hit by another vehicle just before 7 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2024, at Highway 64 and Cobb Road. That deputy was taken to Regional One Health in non-critical condition and released later that afternoon.
According to THP investigators, the driver of the vehicle pulled onto Highway 64 when they struck the motorcycle. That driver was cited for failure to exercise due care.
While driving toward the accident on Highway 64, the SCSO spokesperson said another deputy, now identified as Sergeant Lilley, was struck by a vehicle on Highway 64, just east of Houston Levee.
According to the THP report, the driver in the second crash had pulled out onto Highway 64 in front of Sgt. Lilley’s motorcycle, causing the deputy to hit the vehicle. That driver was cited for failure to yield the right of way.