Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie Turner dies after plunging into empty swimming pool on lawn mower

Kentucky state Sen. Johnnie Turner, known for his staunch support for the coal industry and other causes in his Appalachian district, has died after being injured at home last month when he plunged into an empty swimming pool while aboard a lawn mower. He was 76.

Turner, a Harlan Republican, was known for his folksy manner that endeared him to constituents and colleagues alike. Turner died Tuesday evening after his "hard-fought battle" with injuries sustained in the accident, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement Wednesday.

"Johnnie spent his life lifting others - whether through his service in the U.S. Army, as a member of the State House of Representatives and State Senate, or in his private legal practice," Stivers said. "His unwavering commitment to the people of eastern Kentucky - his constituents, brothers and sisters in Christ, whom he so fondly referred to as 'his people' - was at the heart of everything he did."