Kentucky legislator who suffered a critical injury when his lawnmower plunged into an empty swimming pool has made significant progress, according to a spokesman for the legislature.
Dustin Isaacs said that state senator Johnnie Turner had been able to communicate and sit up straight on Tuesday. He continued to do so on Wednesday.
Isaacs stated in a press release, “While he is still in ICU, he’s in pain.”
Turner, a Republican living in Harlan, was seriously injured when he accidentally drove his lawnmower into the deep-end pool at his house, according to the Kentucky State Police. The cause of the accident was not disclosed.
Turner was first taken to a local facility and then transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center Knoxville. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers said his family had asked for prayers to speed up Turner’s recovery.
Turner is an attorney who represents several counties in eastern Kentucky. In 2020, he was elected to the Kentucky State Senate by defeating a Democratic incumbent with a nearly identical name. Turner beat two opponents in the Republican primaries in May and is now facing an independent challenger in the November elections. Turner served as a member of the Kentucky House between 1999 and 2002.
