Nashville, Tennessee --- Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Todd M. Larkins was killed in the line of duty today after a tractor trailer struck him.

Trooper Larkins had initiated a traffic stop and had exited his marked vehicle shortly before the crash.  Authorities say he was well within the safe zone when a tractor trailer traveling eastbound on 1-40 in Dickson County struck Larkin’s vehicle, before striking him.  Trooper Larkins died at the scene.

Trooper Larkins, 31, joined the Department of Safety on July 1, 2000.  During his tenure with the department, he served both Maury and Dickson Counties.  He is the 32nd State Trooper to be killed in the line of duty since the Tennessee Highway Patrol was formed in 1929.

The driver of the tractor-trailer has been identified as Mitchell Wayne Bowers, who works for the EBY-Brown Company in Napierville, Illinois.  He is being questioned by members of THP’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and Criminal Investigation Division (CID), who are investigating the crash.

Larkins is survived by his wife Alicia and a 12-year-old daughter.  He was a graduate of Dickson High School and of Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, where he earned a bachelors degree in business management.

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tn.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.