CARTHAGE, Tenn. -- A Smith County sheriff's deputy is recovering at home after being involved in a crash while on duty.

The wreck happened at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday along Highway 70 in the Rawls Creek area.

Deputy Jerry Hickman was driving along the highway in search of a possible drunken driver. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the drunken driver pulled out of a side road and in front of Hickman's cruiser.

The suspected drunker driver was flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in critical condition.

Hickman suffered two broken ribs and an injured knee. He was released from the hospital late Thursday night.