Roll of Honor
Incident
Reserve Deputy David McCollum was killed during a rescue attempt in Meigs County while assisting the Cleveland / Bradley County Rescue Service. Deputy McCollum had been lowered by rope into a 45-foot well to check on the condition of two men at the bottom. It was believed that the men had fallen into the well, however, it was later determined that they had been overcome by carbon monoxide after placing a gasoline powered pump at the bottom to remove water. Deputy McCollum was able to provide a status of their condition before he too became overcome by the carbon monoxide. He was pulled from the well but died while being flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-AF8226BA- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Reserve Deputy McCollum served with the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Cleveland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Reserve Deputy McCollum.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Reserve Deputy David Allen McCollum is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Bradley County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Allen McCollum's cause is highlighted.
How David Allen McCollum Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Allen McCollum is highlighted in Sep.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Bradley County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
