Dustin Robert Stovall was buried Wednesday, May 19, only four days after he graduated from UTM.

Stovall, 22, of Middlefork died after a two-vehicle accident on Highway 22A about 31/2 miles south of Lexington on Sunday evening, May 16. The other driver, Joe N. Hamilton of Lexington, also died in the crash.

“God’s plan for him was different than what we wanted,” said Stovall’s mother, Nancy Little Stovall. “We went from the happiest day of our lives on Saturday to the worst day of our lives on Sunday.”

Stovall had graduated magna cum laude Saturday, May 15, with a bachelor of arts degree in Communications and an emphasis in Public Relations. His minor was English and he had planned to enter law school.

His brother, Cody Stovall, a sophomore at Jackson State Community College, said Stovall was flown to Jackson General Hospital by Air Evac after rescue workers detected a heartbeat at the wreck scene. However, the heartbeat was lost en route to Jackson, meaning that Stovall’s organs could not be donated, though he believed strongly in organ and tissue donation. Stovall’s family said his corneas and other tissues were donated.

A report in the Chester County Independent quoted the Tennessee Highway Patrol as saying that the trucks struck on the passenger sides and that neither driver was wearing a seat belt. The THP believes safety belts would have made a difference in the outcome of the wreck, the newspaper article read.

Stovall’s father, Dennis Stovall, said the truck’s air bags did deploy. He added that the family was told by law enforcement personnel that the other driver’s blood alcohol content registered.26, well above Tennessee’s legal BAC limit of .08.