Three people, including a child, died in Monday in a fiery head-on crash in Coffee County, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and others might have perished but for the actions of a Coffee County deputy.

Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers said victims in the crash were 5-year-old Chandler Nivens and his mother, Amy Nivens, of Franklin, Tennessee, as well as 28-year-old Enterprise resident Michael Rashaun Hobdy.

The head-on collision occurred around 4 a.m. north of Enterprise on State Road 167 near the 41 mile marker, two miles south of Alabama 125 near the Victoria community in Coffee County, said ALEA Cpt. Tracy Nelson.

Hobdy was driving an older model Trailblazer; Amy Nivens was driving a passenger van from Tennessee with four other occupants.

“Upon impact the van caught fire and the driver and one passenger were pronounced dead on the scene. Three passengers were transported with injuries to a local hospital. One of those transported has critical injuries.”

A three-year-old child was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital; two others were transported to Medical Center Enterprise and are in stable condition. The same two children were later moved from MCE to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, Preachers said.

Nelson more of the victims might have died if it were not for the Coffee County Sheriff deputy who arrived on the scene and started pulling people from the accident.

Sgt. Jace Holley of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department entered one of the burning vehicles and was able to pull three injured victims out, according to the Elba Volunteer Fire Department.