UNITED STATES NEWS

A Kentucky lawmaker has been critically injured in lawn mower accident

Sep 16, 2024, 9:43 AM

Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie Turner, front, gives a speech on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Frankfort,...

Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie Turner, front, gives a speech on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Frankfort, Ky. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)

HARLAN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawmaker was critically injured when the lawn mower he was riding plunged into an empty swimming pool at his home, authorities said Monday.

State Sen. Johnnie Turner, a Republican from Harlan, was in critical but stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers.

Turner was injured when he drove his mower into the deep end of the pool, Kentucky State Police said. Authorities received the 911 call shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday. State police had no details about what caused the accident. Turner was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to UT Medical Center.

Turner’s injuries were not immediately disclosed. His family requested prayers for his “speedy recovery,” Stivers said in a statement.

Turner, an attorney, represents multiple counties in eastern Kentucky. He won election to the state Senate in 2020, ousting a Democratic incumbent with the same last name. Turner defeated two challengers in the Republican primary in May, and he is being challenged by an independent candidate in the November election. Turner served in the Kentucky House from 1999 to 2002.

Turner is a staunch defender of the coal industry, once the backbone of the eastern Kentucky economy. Coal employment in Kentucky fell sharply over the last decade as cheaper natural gas prices and tougher environmental regulations prompted electric providers to move away from buying coal.

Kentucky’s GOP-dominated legislature will begin its 2025 session in January. Until then, lawmakers are meeting in interim committees to study a range of issues in preparation for next year’s 30-day session.

United States News

FILE - Tiger Stadium is seen before an NCAA football game between LSU and Northwestern State in Bat...

Associated Press

Judge orders LSU to reinstate professor who was removed from class following political comments

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A judge has ordered Louisiana State University to fully reinstate a professor who was removed from his teaching duties last month after he used vulgar language to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump during a lecture. The ruling, which allows tenured law professor Ken Levy to return to […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Snow and freezing rain pummel the mid-Atlantic while California prepares for likely flooding

Snow, sleet and freezing rain were expected to continue pummeling the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states Wednesday, while California readied for a storm that could flood areas ravaged by the recent wildfires. Especially heavy snowfall — up to nearly 14 inches (25 centimeters) — was expected in parts of Virginia and West Virginia, according to […]

1 hour ago

FILE - West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey and his wife, Denise, greet people following his swe...

Associated Press

Jim Justice says he turned West Virginia’s budget from cow dung to gold. Gov. Morrisey disagrees

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jim Justice said he transformed West Virginia’s financial policy from cow dung into gold during his time as governor. But one man’s gold is another man’s … something else. Newly inaugurated Gov. Patrick Morrisey has taken a closer look under the lid of the state’s coffers, and he said […]

2 hours ago

Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, left, who work for a company doing contract work for t...

Associated Press

Trump administration battles employee lawsuit to block dismantling of USAID

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will present an unforgiving argument for dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development to a federal judge Wednesday: USAID is rife with “insubordination” and must be shut down for the administration to decide what pieces of it to salvage. The argument, made in an affidavit by political appointee and […]

2 hours ago

FILE - The exterior of the South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia, S.C. is shown Jan. 18...

Associated Press

When does a heartbeat start? South Carolina Supreme Court again takes up abortion issue

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — With a heartbeat abortion ban solidly in place in South Carolina, lawyers for the state and Planned Parenthood return to the state’s highest court Wednesday to argue how restrictive the ban should be. The law is being enforced in South Carolina as a ban on almost all abortions around six weeks […]

2 hours ago

President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as Jordan's King Abdullah II departs the White House after...

Associated Press

Trump readies matching tariffs on trade partners, possibly setting up a major economic showdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking additional action to upset the world trade system, with plans to sign an order as soon as Wednesday that would require that U.S. tariffs on imports match the tax rates charged by other countries. “It’s time to be reciprocal,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. “You’ll be […]

2 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to start your retirement planning early and avoid costly mistakes

Retirement planning can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can avoid costly pitfalls.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

A Kentucky lawmaker has been critically injured in lawn mower accident