Officer Down: Deputy Jared Allison

NASH COUNTY-A North Carolina deputy was killed in on-duty crash, officials say.

Jared Michael Allison was in his Nash County Sheriff's Office patrol SUV when police say he tried to follow a speeding motorcycle on Thanksgiving, The Spring Hope Enterprise reported. He had been working as part of a statewide initiative to help keep drivers safe on the holiday, the sheriff's office wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post.

While the lights and sirens were on, Allison's SUV "collided with another vehicle," news outlets reported.

Allison, who was thrown from the patrol vehicle, had broken bones and injuries to his head, WNCN reported. Sheriff Keith Stone couldn't confirm whether the deputy was wearing a seat belt during the crash on U.S. 301 in Rocky Mount, roughly 60 miles northeast of Raleigh, according to ABC11, The News & Observer's media partner.

Allison was rushed to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where he died Tuesday from his injuries at age 26, the Nash County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.

"We ask everyone to keep Jared's family as well as our deputies in your prayers as we all grieve the loss of a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the citizens of Nash County," Stone said in the post.

Allison, who was with the department for more than two years, leaves behind his wife and 9-year-old son. He served in the U.S. Army and is remembered as an "avid animal lover," officials say.

A procession is planned Wednesday morning from Greenville to the Wheeler-Woodlief Funeral Home in Rocky Mount, according to the sheriff's office.

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