Police tape.Photo: Getty
The mayor of a Georgia town has died in a motocross accident just months after being elected.
Perry Bell, who won the mayoral race for White, Georgia, in a special election this June, died while participating in the Lazy River Motocross event near Dalton, according tomultiple outlets. He was 54.
His cause of death is blunt force trauma to the chest, Murray County Deputy Coroner Jonathan Sosebee toldThe Daily Tribune News. Sosebeeaddedthat the “unavoidable accident” happened after Bell crashed.
“From what I understand, he was on a jump and then he crashed on top of a jump. There was another rider right behind him and he was unable to do anything … he wasn’t able to see him to avoid it,” he continued.
Interim mayor Gary Crisp toldWSB Radio, “They brought a helicopter in… Flew him to a trauma center but he didn’t make it. He passed away.
He added, “He was just a caring person for the community and just wanted to help the people who lived here.”
The other rider suffered minor injuries and was released from the hospital after a few hours,NBC Newsreports.
No criminal charges have been filed, however, authorities are still investigating the crash, per the outlet.
The Murray County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Adding that “emotions are raw,” Bell’s friend said the late mayor was a “legend.”
He shared that Bell loved to skydive as well as drive race cars and motorcycles. He described Bell as an entrepreneur who also loved to play the piano and guitar before he saluted his latest “accomplishment” of becoming mayor of White.
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“I know if given the chance he would’ve made the town he fell in love with a better place to live for all the residents,” he added.
“Everybody is hit hard from it,” resident Anthony Morris, who also worked in City Hall, told WSB. “He’s always got a smile on his face.”
Officials said it’s possible another special election will be held to determine Bell’s replacement, per WSB.
source: people.com
