A Paulding County man died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a charter bus as he rode his bicycle along U.S. 41.
Andrew Quin Pray, 31, of a Dallas address, was cycling northbound along U.S. 41 south of Red Top Mountain when he was struck around 12:30 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Sandy Turner with the Bartow County Fire Department.
Pray, who was wearing a helmet, was critically injured after being hit by a charter bus within the Emerson city limits, Turner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Pray was transported by ambulance to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, but did not survive.
Pray, a married father of three, served as a worship pastor for West Ridge Church in Dallas, where he led the band and often sang alongside wife. The church posted the news of Pray's death on its website and Facebook page, where hundreds of people posted comments in memory of Pray.
“It is with deep sorrow and hurt that we have to tell you that our beloved brother Andrew Pray has passed away,” the church posted.
It was a job Pray thoroughly loved and put his heart into, Paul Richardson, a fellow pastor and friend, told the AJC on Thursday. Pray planned for church services weeks and even months in advance, while continuing to improve his musical talents, Richardson said.
“It’s one of those rare personalities. He was very present in whatever he was doing,” Richardson said. “He was always in the moment. Because of that, he was able to give his best to every moment.”
Pray was also athletically gifted, earning all-state honors as a high school football player in Arkansas. He later turned to cycling, and the route he was on Wednesday was one he often rode, Richardson said. It required him to ride along U.S. 41 about two miles.
“That was a comfort to his dad, knowing that he was doing what he loved,” Richardson said.
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