Just days before Christmas, Lexington resident Christopher Bristow lost his life in a three-car accident that occurred on the extremely foggy morning of Wednesday, December 19.

Bristow, who was on his way to work in Cameron at American Medical Response (AMR), had recently earned his EMT and served as an EMT for the past three months in Rockdale.

Trooper Jay Boykin said at approximately 7:45 a.m., Bristow's late model Mazda Protégé slid across the center stripe of US 77 north of Rockdale and was in a collision with a Pontiac driven by Margaret Cummings of Rosebud before being hit a second time by a Dodge Durango driven by Connie Sapp of Cameron.

Trooper Boykin said both drivers of the other two vehicles either refused medical treatment or were not injured while damage to their vehicles was extensive. Troopers said Bristow's Mazda was totaled in the accident.

Three of the four ambulances from the American Medical Response station responded to the accident, unaware that one of their own would be a victim in the incident.

Jennifer Myers-Smith, AMR spokesperson, said Bristow was found in uniform, unresponsive and trapped in his mangled vehicle. He was apparently on his way to work his normal 12-hour shift on Medic 4 when the accident occurred.

The Rockdale Fire Department was dispatched and labored to get Bristow out of the wreckage. Once extricated, Medic 2 of AMR rushed him to Scott and White in Temple where he was pronounced dead.

Bristow was 21 years of age and the son of one of the paramedics who works for AMR, Jerilyn Bristow.

A funeral service was held for Bristow on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at Shiloh Baptist Church outside of Lexington. He is survived by his mother; sister, Madison and grandmother, Melanie Hester and husband, Nick, all of Lexington.