STUART — A former Stuart News business editor who was killed Friday morning when a car collided with his bicycle on a city bridge was remembered Saturday as a special person.
Martin Drummond, 67, of Sewall’s Point, died early Friday when a woman whom police said was driving under the influence struck the back of his bicycle with her car as he rode on the Evans Crary Bridge.
“He was a rare gem,” said Lori Drummond, his wife of 18 years. “He cared deeply about people and wanted them to know how much he cared.”
Drummond, who bicycled on the bridge every weekday, was riding east on the bridge toward Sewall’s Point Road just before 7 a.m. when he was hit by a 2019 BMW 535i driven by Elise Victoria Elder, 23, of Stuart, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Elder failed to stop after the collision and fled the scene, police said.
Rescue workers arriving on the scene pronounced Drummond dead.
Elder was arrested later Friday and charged with DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident, according to Martin County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Christine Weiss. Elder was being held Saturday at the Martin County Jail.
Drummond was a pastor and Realtor as well as a journalist. He worked at The Stuart News from 1998 to 2001 as the business editor and was the publisher of River Living magazine when he was killed.
He was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and moved to the Treasure Coast when he was about 18, according to his wife. He was a father to two children, three stepchildren and had 12 grandchildren.
He and his wife would hold virtual Bible study on Facebook Live every Thursday.
“It’s a huge loss for us. Our lives are never going to be the same,” Lori Drummond said.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at [email protected], 772-409-1429, or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @gonthescene.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Driver charged with DUI manslaughter in cyclist’s death
Source Agencies
