Kentucky legislator dies after driving lawnmower into empty swimming pool

Republican Kentucky state senator Johnnie Turner has died at the age of 76.

According to ABC NewsAn MP died after he fell into an empty swimming pool while driving a lawnmower. The incident occurred on September 15, authorities confirmed Related press that Turner rode his lawn mower into deep water.

At this time, the senator was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to UT Medical Center.

On Wednesday, October 23, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers announced in a press release that Turner had died as a result of the accident.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the death of Senator Johnnie Turner on Tuesday evening after a fierce battle with injuries sustained in a recent accident,” the statement read. LINK NKY.

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“Over the past weeks, his extraordinary determination and strength have filled the Turner family – and all of us – with optimism, making this loss even more difficult to bear,” he added.

Stivers, 62, went on to say that he will miss his friend, adding that his “heart breaks for his wife Maritza and his children.”

PEOPLE reached out to Stivers for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

“This loss is deeply personal to me because I knew Johnnie long before our paths crossed in public office,” he said.

“Johnnie spent his life uplifting others – whether through service in the U.S. Army, as a member of the State House of Representatives and State Senate, or in his private law practice,” Stivers continued. “His unwavering commitment to the people of eastern Kentucky – his constituents, his brothers and sisters in Christ whom he so affectionately called ‘his people’ – was at the heart of everything he did.”

According to News from heavenTurner served in the U.S. Army and in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He then became a state senator in 2020 and practiced law.