84-year-old Velma D. Hendrix, the mayor of Melville, Louisiana, died on election day in a car wreck as she was running for re-election.
Hendrix was in a two-car accident on Tuesday, right after 11 a.m.
Authorities say that the driver of a 2015 Ram pickup truck, Michael Cook, didn’t yield while crossing over the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 190. Cook then slammed into the passenger side of an Acura, which was moving in the westbound lane.
Hendrix had been sitting in the back left passenger seat when the accident occurred and didn’t have her seat belt on.
She was transported to a local medical facility in critical condition but was later declared deceased.
Three other passengers in the Acura experienced moderate critical wounds, police say.
They added that although Cook wasn’t wearing a seat belt either, he wasn’t hurt. The driver did receive a citation for failure to yield from a stop sign and no seat belt. Authorities say that a breathalyzer test revealed that Cook wasn’t under the influence of alcohol.
The St. Landry Parish Clerk noted on Facebook that a new election will happen on Dec. 10.
An investigation into the crash is continuing.
