A multi-vehicle crash last week that claimed the life of the son of a Knoxville, Tennessee fire department captain was the result of a “chain reaction” begun by an illegal immigrant driving in the wrong lane, investigators said.

Pierce Kennedy Corcoran, 22, the son of Knoxville Fire Department spokesperson Captain D.J. Corcoran, was driving a Honda Civic south on Knoxville’s Chapman Highway the evening of December 29 when a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Franco Cambrany Francisco-Eduardo reportedly veered into their lane and struck the vehicle.

Son of Knoxville Fire Captain dies in wreck, firefighters across the state come together to helphttps://t.co/7VSSGWaXSY — WVLT News (@wvlt) January 2, 2019

Corcoran was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel, and a passenger was treated but is expected to live. Both were wearing seat belts.

A Knoxville Police Department press release reported the accident to be the result of a “chain reaction crash” involving two other vehicles. No one was injured in the other vehicles involved. (RELATED: 10 Illegal Immigrants Arrested After Jumping Out Of Car During Traffic Stop)

44-year-old Franco Cambrany Francisco-Eduardo, an illegal immigrant, was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide as well as having no driver’s license or proof of financial responsibility, according to the News Sentinel, and was jailed without bond pending ICE action. Tennessee is not a sanctuary state.

The death of 22-year-old Pierce Corcoran has brought home to Knoxville the heated national debate over illegal immigration and the need for a border wall. https://t.co/x0yerJA7OA — knoxnews (@knoxnews) January 4, 2019

On Friday, “Francisco-Eduardo was released from the Knox County Detention Facility into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the News Sentinel reported.

Tim Burchett, a newly-elected GOP representative who represents Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district, which covers Knoxville, called Corcoran’s death “tragic” and “entirely avoidable.”

“Based on the details released at this point, this situation underscores the need to fully enforce our existing immigration laws and strengthen and secure our border,” Burchett told the News Sentinel via email. “The bottom line is if the suspect hadn’t been in the country illegally, Pierce Corcoran would still be alive.”

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