SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — A teacher and his wife, a former deputy sheriff, are believed to have been killed instantly Friday night when they were hit by an oncoming SUV after a deer ran out in front of them and caused them to wreck, authorities say.

The couple, who had been living on Crooked Creek Bay Road near Lake Sinclair in Putnam County, had recently moved to Washington County where the accident occurred.

The double-fatality happened in the Deepstep community of Washington County shortly before 8 p.m., according to an accident report filed by Sgt. David Holland of the Georgia State Patrol Post in Milledgeville.

Holland identified the victims as John Russell Lamon, 54, and Theresa Ann Lamon, 53.

John was a former STAR teacher at Putnam County High School and taught in Baldwin County before he began teaching English at Washington County High School in Sandersville. His wife, Theresa, meanwhile, had worked as a deputy with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office for several years.

The couple was pronounced dead by Washington County Deputy Coroner Mark W. Hodges.

Holland said John Lamon was operating a 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife as his passenger along the 1800 block of Linton Road when they struck a deer, throwing them both from the motorcycle.

Two men were at a nearby residence and heard the sounds of the crash. They called 911 for help before walking down the driveway to see what had happened and if they could help in any way, authorities said.

The couple was in the southbound lane of the roadway conscious and talking, the witnesses told the investigating state trooper.

John Lamon was described as lying in the roadway with his wife, Theresa, on her knees talking with her husband shortly after the collision between the motorcycle and deer, witnesses said.

Holland said the witnesses told him that before they could assist the injured motorcyclists that a white pickup truck approached the scene from a southbound direction.

The investigating trooper said the witnesses flagged down the driver of the truck, who pulled over for a brief period before leaving the scene. The driver’s identity was never determined.

A short time later, a 2017 Nissan Rogue approached from the opposite direction from the driver of the pickup truck. The SUV, driven by 22-year-old Jacey Michelle Hinton, of Old Linton Road, Sandersville, according to the state patrol report obtained by The Union-Recorder.

Holland said the witnesses attempted to flag down the driver of the SUV, but they were unable to do so.

Hinton told the trooper that she had just met another vehicle and dimmed her headlights. She explained the roadway was extremely dark at the time and that she never saw the downed motorcyclists in the roadway prior to hitting them.

“She stated that upon striking the downed motorists, she steered to the right to avoid the motorcycle, and then steered back onto the roadway to avoid driving down the embankment,” Holland said in his report. “The witnesses stated that it was so dark, they had no doubt that driver No. 1 (Hinton) could not see the downed motorists upon her approach.”

Hinton was treated at the scene by personnel with Washington County Emergency Medical Services before she was taken by ambulance to Washington County Regional Hospital in Sandersville. The extent of her injuries was not disclosed.

An 18-year-old passenger in the SUV, identified as Anna Fair Hinton, also of Old Hinton Road, Sandersville, was not injured, Holland said.

Funeral services for the Lamons are slated for Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Milledgeville.