JASPER, Fla. — Darnell Lumpkin, a Jasper city councilman and mayor, was killed Monday morning in a car crash.

The accident occurred at 7:20 a.m. near the SE 69th Boulevard and U.S. Highway 41 intersection near the entrance to Nutrien. Lumpkin, who was 67 years old, was en route to his job at Nutrien at the time of the accident. He had worked for the company for nearly 50 years.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, just prior to the entrance to Nutrien, Lumpkin’s car shifted north and struck a small traffic barrier in the median with its front end.

The FHP report states Lumpkin suffered a medical episode and was pronounced deceased at the scene by Hamilton County Fire Rescue.

Lumpkin was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. The report says the role, if any, that alcohol played in the crash is still being investigated.

Lumpkin served 12 years on Jasper’s City Council, including four years as mayor.

“Mr. Lumpkin was very close to me, and this is a very heartfelt loss to me, the Council and the City of Jasper,” City Manager Marcus Collins said. “It is a tremendous loss, we all have lost a very good person, it will take some time for our hearts to heal, but we are going to stay strong together as a council and a city, and move forward.”

Fellow Councilman Jay Daigle, who is the council chair, said Lumpkin was a man of few words. However, when he did speak, nobody questioned where he stood.

“I really liked Mr. Lumpkin as a person and a council member,” Daigle said. “This has come as a shock to all of us. My condolences are with all of his friends and family members.”

Daigle recalled having conversations with Lumpkin about matters in the city prior to being elected to the council himself.

“Lumpkin truly had Jasper’s best interests at heart,” Daigle said.

When Lumpkin first ran for a council seat in 2008, he did so proclaiming it was “time for a change for the benefit of the people and the community.”