HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- When Malcolm "Mac" Gardner, Jr. did not arrive at the Ashland polling location where he was scheduled to volunteer Tuesday morning, fellow Super Tuesday volunteers called Gardner's wife. When she went out to look for her husband, she found his car flipped over at the intersection of Ashcake Road and Melton Road.
Gardner, 76, had been ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2006 Chevrolet sedan, occupied by [Gardner], was travelling west on Melton Road, crossed over both lanes of Ashcake Road, struck an embankment, and rolled over several times," Hanover Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. James Cooper said. "Investigators are still collecting information and consulting with the Medical Examiner to determine the circumstances that led to this tragic incident."
Family friends were shocked and saddened by the news of Gardner's sudden death. Ron Hudson noted the couple was looking forward to attending a Jimmy Buffet concert in April.
"We're just going to be there for whatever [Gardner's wife] needs," Hudson said. "I don't know that we can really do anything except offer some moral support."
He said Mac was the kind of guy who would light up the room with laughter.
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