NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – An esteemed surgeon and sports medicine specialist tragically lost his life this weekend in a farming accident in Maury County.

Dr. Allen Anderson, who worked with the Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance (TOA), was 67 years old.

Details on Anderson’s death, which occurred Saturday, weren’t immediately known.

According to TOA, it’s estimated Dr. Anderson performed over 20,000 surgeries and helped innumerable patients during his career.

He was a graduate of University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed a residency in orthopedics at Vanderbilt University. He was board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in general orthopedics with a certificate of added qualification for sports medicine.

Following his residency, Dr. Anderson joined the Lipscomb Clinic at Saint Thomas Hospital in 1983 and then Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance (TOA) in 1996. He was specialist in sports medicine with a focus on knee injury and ligament reconstruction.

TOA says Dr. Anderson published over 100 scientific manuscripts in peer review journals and 26 book chapters. He had 21 scientific exhibits at national and international meetings, national and international presentations, and 75 instructional course lectures.

A statement on the surgeon also said his passion for teaching led him to visit many countries around the world – including China, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and Canada – “where he loved sharing his surgical knowledge and techniques with peers and students alike.”

He leaves behind his wife Candy, three sons-Brian, David, and Chris, two daughters-in-law, five grandchildren, two sisters, and one brother, plus many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Steve WADE, CEO of the Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, released the following statement on Dr. Anderson’s passing:

Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance (TOA) was shocked and saddened to hear of Dr. Allen Anderson’s sudden and unexpected passing which occurred on Sunday, November 12. Dr. Anderson was not only a leader in our organization, but was a national and world leader in the field of orthopedics and sports medicine. His accomplishments are too numerous to cite and the reach of his teaching was global, with his having travelled to places such as Spain, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and China to share his knowledge and surgical techniques with peers and surgical students alike. Dr. Anderson was one of the pioneers in the specialty of sports medicine and his passion for helping patients, both athletes and non-athletes alike, is unparalled. He has published 101 scientific manuscripts and 26 book chapters, presented to Congress as President of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), and even served as team captain of the Battle Ground Academy football team where he was voted most athletic. He was also an athlete at the University of Tennessee. Most of all, Dr. Anderson provided his family with a loving and supportive man of great faith, just as he provided the medical community with a shining example of how to truly excel at orthopedic surgery. The thoughts and prayers of Dr. Anderson’s TOA family are with his own family as they come to terms with their great loss. Nashville’s medical community will truly miss Dr. Allen French Anderson (1949-2017).