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 who police say was driving under the influence struck the back of his bicycle with her car while he was riding 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 cycled across the bridge every weekday, was riding eastbound across the bridge toward Sewall’s Point Road just before 7 a.m. when he was struck by a 2019 BMW 535i driven by Elise Victoria Elder, 23, of Stuart, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Elder was unable to stop after the collision and fled the scene, police said.
Rescue workers who arrived on the scene determined that Drummond had died.
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 in the Martin County Jail on Saturday.
Drummond was a preacher and real estate agent, but also a journalist. He worked at The Stuart News as business editor from 1998 to 2001 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 the father of two children, three stepchildren and had 12 grandchildren.
He and his wife held a virtual Bible study every Thursday via Facebook Live.
“It’s a huge loss for us. Our lives will never be the same,” said Lori Drummond.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @gonthescene.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Driver charged with manslaughter by drunk driving in cyclist’s death
