Deputy Is Home Recovering After Wreck
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Yalobusha County deputy Randy Coleman was injured in a two vehicle crash on Highway 51 in Oakland Friday night.
OAKLAND – A Yalobusha County deputy is at home recovering after he was injured in an on-duty vehicle wreck Friday night. Yalobusha County Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch reported deputy Randy Coleman was injured in a two-vehicle crash Friday night just after 10 p.m. on Hwy. 51 in Oakland while patrolling. Coleman was transported from the scene to Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi in Oxford. He was then transported to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis for treatment and released Sunday morning around 5 a.m.
“Randy is a true servant to the people in this county, he has served his community for decades as a volunteer fighter and fire chief. He has served as a part-time deputy for our county since 2020, and previously worked as a deputy in Calhoun and Grenada counties,” Gooch said. “Our prayers go out to Randy and the driver of the other vehicle involved in this wreck, we are praying for a speedy recovery for Randy and her.”
Gooch said that Coleman was hired by former Sheriff Mark D. Fulco in 2020 to help build a presence of deputies in communities across the county. Coleman lives in the southern portion of the county between the Skuna River and Yalobusha River, an isolated area that has been cut off from the rest of the county since the Gums Crossing bridge was closed in 2019.
“Having Randy answering calls in this area of the county on nights and weekends drastically reduces response time,” Gooch said. “With the bridge out, it can take a deputy almost 45 minutes to respond to a call. He is also a valuable deputy when he is working other areas of the county, and we look forward to him returning to service.”
Randy Coleman’s son, Dalton Coleman was also on duty Friday night in Coffeeville, where he serves as a part-time police officer. Dalton Coleman heard the call for help from his dad on the radio and was among numerous on-duty and off-duty law enforcement officers and fire fighters responding. Dalton Coleman explained his father has served for 40 years as a volunteer firefighter, including the last 20 years as chief at Clear Springs Volunteer Fire Department, and was able to maintain his composure and remained inside the police cruiser until the ambulance arrived.
“He knew he didn’t need to be moved until they could secure his neck,” Dalton Coleman added.
Dalton Coleman, who also serves as a volunteer fire fighter and a fire chief in the county, said it was one of the toughest wrecks he has responded to.
“I have worked some tough wrecks, but obviously this one was hard. I knew I had to step back and let everybody do what they are trained to do,” Dalton Coleman said.
Dalton Coleman had strong praise for all the responders – the sheriff’s department, Oakland Police Department, Yalobusha County EMA, the Yalobusha County ambulance crew, and the the Mississippi Highway Patrol, who are investigating the crash.
“I can’t say enough about Sheriff Gooch and Chief Deputy (Thomas) West, they were there with us during this entire ordeal,” Dalton Coleman added. “With my father being laid up for a while, Thomas offered to help with the cows on the farm. It is a blessing to have boss men who really care. The off-duty and on-duty deputies who responded and the Oakland Police Department, I can’t say enough about these officers either.”
Dalton Coleman was also thankful for the rapid response time from the ambulance crew.
“The care that our paramedics and EMTs have for their patients is above and beyond the call of duty. They did a great job at this wreck taking care of my father and the patient in the other vehicle.”
Dalton Coleman, who formerly worked as the county’s EMA director, also extended gratitude to EMA Directors Stewart Spence and Jarred Logan.
“They both did a great job, it meant a lot to have them there for my father,” he said.
Dalton Coleman said his father sustained back injuries in the wreck, and is extremely sore and bruised. He is expected to be off work for at least six weeks. In addition to working as a part-time deputy, Randy Coleman works full-time for the U.S. Corps of Engineers as an electrician.
“Our family really appreciates all of the prayers, we know that the power of prayer is strong,” Dalton added.
