Less than two weeks after being tapped to sculpt a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. to grace the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol, local artist Andy Davis was fighting for his life.
Davis — a McDonough resident and esteemed sculptor perhaps best known for his life-sized statues of Ray Charles and Patrick Henry — was ejected from his motorcycle during a Saturday morning crash in Henry County, authorities said. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published early Saturday evening a Channel 2 Action News report that Davis had passed, but that information had not been confirmed. Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Tracey Watson said she did not have specifics about Davis’ condition but, as of about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, the incident was “not a fatal crash.”
Watson said Davis and his motorcycle were stopped at the traffic light at Jodeco Road’s ramp to I-75 when, around 12:35 a.m., a Toyota pickup truck “struck the rear of the motorcycle.”
While Davis was rushed to the hospital, the driver of the pickup truck was arrested, Watson said. She said 20-year-old Corey Ashton Sease was charged with driving under the influence, following too closely and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.
Further information regarding Davis’ condition was not immediately available.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced on June 29 that Davis, 53, had been commissioned to sculpt a long-awaited statue of Martin Luther King Jr., which will be overlook the newly opened Liberty Plaza outside the Georgia State Capitol.
Reached by phone Saturday, McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland called Davis’ situation “heart-wrenching.”
“What a talented, what a gifted individual,” he said.
