Woman killed in crash involving on-duty Madison County deputy

A Madison woman was killed early Saturday morning in a two-vehicle crash involving an on-duty Madison County Sheriff's Office deputy, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The crash occurred at approximately 12:17 a.m. on Alabama 23 near the 323 mile marker, about six miles northwest of Huntsville in Madison County. ALEA said Jacques L. Whitt, 27, of Madison, was a passenger in a 2013 Kia Optima that was struck by a 2022 Ford Explorer driven by a deputy who was responding to a call for service. Authorities said Whitt was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Kia, Mardasha D. Woods, 30, of Huntsville, was also not wearing a seat belt and was ejected during the collision. Woods was injured and transported to Huntsville Hospital for treatment. A second passenger in the Kia, Hailey N. Tibbs, 31, of Huntsville, was also injured and taken to Huntsville Hospital. The deputy driving the Ford Explorer and an intern riding as a passenger in the patrol vehicle were both injured and transported to Huntsville Hospital for medical treatment. According to ALEA, the Ford Explorer was an assigned Madison County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle. The deputy was actively responding to a call for service with the vehicle's emergency lights and siren activated when the crash occurred. Troopers with ALEA's Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash