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Kentucky state senator injured in lawnmower accident

Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan, has died a month after a lawnmower accident at his home.

Turner, 76, died Tuesday evening from injuries sustained in the Sept. 15 accident, Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement. Kentucky State Police previously reported that the lawn mower fell into the deep end of an empty swimming pool. Turner was taken to Harlan ARH Hospital and later flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

“His remarkable determination and strength filled the Turner family — and all of us — with optimism in recent weeks and made this loss difficult to bear,” Stivers wrote.

Turner has represented Eastern Kentucky's District 29 since 2021 and was previously a state representative from 1999 to 2002. Outside the state legislature, Turner was a lawyer and served as a medic in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969.

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“Johnnie was truly one of the most fascinating people I have ever known,” state Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, wrote in a Facebook post.

Gov. Andy Beshear also expressed his condolences.

“The UK and I are saddened by the news of the death of Senator Johnnie Turner,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We extend our condolences and prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

After his opponent withdrew from the race, Turner ran unopposed for re-election.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at [email protected] or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

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