A Spalding County Sheriff’s Office transport officer died Tuesday evening after suffering a medical emergency that led to a vehicle crash in Fayette County, according to officials.
Around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office notified Spalding County that Deputy Joe Crumpton had been involved in a crash and was being taken to Piedmont Fayette Hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Investigators say a witness — an employee with Fayette County Emergency Services — rushed to Crumpton’s vehicle after the crash and found him unconscious. The witness broke the driver’s side window with a fire extinguisher, pulled Crumpton from the vehicle, and discovered he was in cardiac arrest. CPR and a portable defibrillator were used in an attempt to revive him.
Deputy Crumpton was transported to the hospital, where lifesaving efforts continued for more than an hour. Despite those efforts, he died Tuesday evening. His body was transported Wednesday morning to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Deputy Crumpton was 62 years old. He is survived by his wife, Rose Crumpton, and their seven adult children. He served in the Detention Division as a Transport Officer and had been with the sheriff’s office since May 2023. Both he and his wife were U.S. Army veterans.
Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said witnesses told investigators they believed Crumpton suffered a medical episode before the crash. Sheriff Dix also expressed gratitude to the first responders and medical teams who attempted to save Crumpton’s life.
