DEVELOPING STORY
State Rep. Ron Gant (R-TN) was in a head-on collision with a driver in Hardeman County, Tennessee. He was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis late Wednesday evening.
His current medical status is not known.
Sheriff John Doolen reported that officers were called to respond to a two-vehicle accident on Highway 18, just south of Hickory Valley, at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Local ABC 24 reported:
“There was one fatality on the scene. Rep. Gant was flown to Regional One Hospital in Memphis. Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading this investigation. No further information about his condition or the accident has been released at this time.”
Several lawmakers quickly shared their comments and well-wishes on social media. Tennessee’s GOP Party headquarters released a statement Thursday morning:
“On behalf of the TNGOP we are praying for Leader Ron Gant as he recovers from a serious car accident. Our thoughts and prayers go to him and his family. Prayers from the entire caucus tonight for Gant. Ron is a fighter and we are with him.”
Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn tweeted: “Please join me in praying for my friend, @RonGant, who was in a serious car accident tonight. May God bring quick healing to Ron and comfort to his loved ones.”
The Conservative Brief noted that Kentucky Republican Sen. C.B. Embry passed away last Thursday, “days after stepping down from the General Assembly.”
Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s statement read:
“Elaine and I are heartbroken to learn of the loss of my good friend C.B. Embry. For more than fifty years, until just this week, he dutifully served the people of Kentucky as Mayor, County Judge-Executive, State Representative, and State Senator. I join with the chorus of Kentuckians he touched throughout his long career in mourning his loss.”
Embry won a seat in the House in 2002 and became a senator in 2014. Earlier this year, he announced his intention to retire, citing his “long battle with cancer.”
“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the good of the people of District 6,” Embry said in his resignation letter. “During my time in the Senate, I can truly say that I and my colleagues worked each day to make Kentucky an even greater state.”
Also in recent news: House Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in an automobile accident in Elkhart County, Indiana, on August 3. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s office made an updated statement, “saying that ‘eyewitness and video evidence’ confirmed that Walorski’s vehicle ‘crossed the centerline for reasons that are unknown at this time and the two vehicles collided.'” The initial statement claimed the other vehicle caused the crash.
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