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Incident
Trooper Ross was killed when his patrol car was struck by a commercial vehicle while he was working a construction work-zone detail.
Trooper Ross' vehicle was positioned at the rear of the work-zone with its emergency lights flashing when a tractor-trailer struck it from behind. The patrol car immediately flipped over and was engulfed in flames with Trooper Ross inside. The tractor-trailer then crossed the median and struck another vehicle.
In 2002, the 50-year-old driver pled guilty to vehicular homicide and aggravated assault and was sentenced to one year with seven years probation. The driver admitted he should not have been driving because he was very tired and fell asleep behind the wheel.
Survivors
Trooper Ross was a U.S Army veteran and had served with the Tennessee Highway Patrol for almost five years He is survived by his three children, parents, and sister.
In Our Keeping
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- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Army. One record, 2 gates. Lynn is one person.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Ross gave the Tennessee Highway Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Tennessee. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Lynn McCarthy Ross served in the U.S. Army (1980â1992) before joining law enforcement.
The Sacrifice · Accident
Tennessee Highway Patrol has lost 41 officers; 30 of them lost to accidents.
Lynn is one of 191 officers lost to accidents in TN, 24.8% of the 769 remembered there.
Lynn is one of 8,276 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Lynn is one of 10,096 officers lost to accidents worldwide, 29.6% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2000, 1 officer at Tennessee Highway Patrol was lost to accidents, the 5th heaviest of 25 years on record. The heaviest was 1934, with 3.
In 2000, 6 officers in TN were lost to accidents, more than in any other year.
In 2000, 85 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 19th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.
In 2000, 91 officers worldwide were lost to accidents, the 35th heaviest of 200 years on record. The heaviest was 1930, with 131.
Who
Lynn was 40. Of the 30 lost to accidents at Tennessee Highway Patrol whose age is recorded, half were between 27.3 and 37; the middle age was 32. Lynn had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 5 years.
Lynn was 40. Of the 183 lost to accidents in TN whose age is recorded, half were between 30.5 and 49; the middle age was 38. Lynn had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 7 years.
Lynn was 40. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Lynn had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
Lynn was 40. Of the 9,452 lost to accidents worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 45; the middle age was 36. Lynn had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.
When
July holds 13.3% of these deaths at Tennessee Highway Patrol; August holds the most, 16.7%. Wednesdays: 23.3%.
July holds 8.9% of these deaths in TN; September holds the most, 11.5%. Wednesdays: 13.6%.
July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.4%. Wednesdays: 14.5%.
July holds 8.9% of these deaths worldwide; August holds the most, 9.3%. Wednesdays: 14.6%.
How
Accident deaths account for 73.2% of all 41 deaths at Tennessee Highway Patrol, the most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 24.8% of all 769 deaths in TN, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.
Accident deaths account for 29.6% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 2nd most common cause.
His people
Tennessee Highway Patrol has 41 officers remembered here, Lynn among them.
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Charles Monroe Hash
Apr 11, 1930
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Walter Ray Jones Jul 31, 1933
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Lee Glenn Loveless Feb 3, 1934
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Clovis Lee Cole May 2, 1934
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Edward Eugene Kennedy
Aug 22, 1934
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Lindsey Blake Smith
Dec 17, 1934
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Landon Earl Hicks Jun 17, 1936
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Paul Summers
Aug 8, 1936
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Carl Douglas Hickman
Sep 15, 1937
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Lewis R. Boone
Oct 18, 1938
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Charles Joseph Gearhiser Nov 12, 1938
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William Howard James
Sep 14, 1942
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William Hinkle Crutcher Aug 3, 1944
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Fred Cole Waldrop
Mar 9, 1950
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Oliver Deward Williamson
Mar 21, 1952
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Oscar Newton Morris
Apr 19, 1956
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Lewis Raymond Hendon Jun 15, 1957
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Edward Clay Jowers Jul 18, 1962
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Joseph Emanuel Dillard
Aug 24, 1964
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William Gordon Barnes Jan 7, 1966
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Michael Theodore Dafferner Apr 6, 1966
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Samual W. Gibbs
Aug 11, 1966
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Eugene Brakebill
Oct 9, 1966
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Roy Alford Mynatt
Feb 11, 1968
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C. B. Martin
May 4, 1969
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Paul Lynn Mooneyham, Sr.
Apr 4, 1981
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Samuel Freeman Holcomb, Jr.
Mar 27, 1988
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Douglas Wayne Tripp
May 19, 1991
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George Van Dorse Holcomb
Jan 26, 1992
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James David Perry
Oct 3, 1999
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Bobby J. Maples
Nov 5, 1999
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Lynn McCarthy Ross
Jul 26, 2000
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John Gregory Mann
Jan 1, 2001
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John Robert Davis
Mar 17, 2001
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Todd Michael Larkins
Jul 8, 2005
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Calvin Wayne Jenks
Jan 6, 2007
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Andrew Thomas Wall
May 7, 2011
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Michael Wayne Slagle
Jan 25, 2013
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Matthew Elias Gatti
May 6, 2019
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Vince Arnold Mullins
Jan 28, 2022
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Harold Lee Russell, II
Aug 23, 2022
Where
Military Service
Lynn McCarthy Ross served in the U.S. Army (1980–1992) before joining law enforcement.
Visit Lynn McCarthy Ross’s page on salute.nw →
His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 12-W
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Also Remembered
Others Who Wore This Badge
40 officers from Tennessee Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
