A former 5th Ward Jefferson City councilman died Sunday night, just days after being hit by a car.
Dean Martin, who died in his home in Bellingham, Wash., served on the council from April 2004 to September 2006, before leaving the area to take a job in Washington state.
4th Ward Councilwoman Carrie Carroll said Martin had been hit by a car as he crossed the street the day before Thanksgiving, sustaining "non-life threatening fractures," along with bruises, soreness and a black eye.
Carroll said it is not known whether his death was tied to the accident, though it may have been a contributing factor.
"It's just scary," Carroll said. "My heart goes out to his family."
Carroll said both Martin and his wife, Carol Blaney, were always active in the community, both serving on the council and being heavily involved in historic preservation within the city.
"They were so in tune with the community and the environment," Carroll said. "They were just really sweet, nice, low-key people. They seemed to enjoy life."
Martin was born in 1951 in Sioux City, Iowa. He moved to Jefferson City shortly after marrying Blaney in 1981. He worked for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources before relocating out of state.