Louisiana mayor, up for reelection, dies in Election Day crash

MELVILLE, La. – A Louisiana mayor up for reelection was killed today in a vehicle crash.

Melville Mayor Velma Hendrix, 84, was killed in a vehicle crash on Tuesday.

Hendrix, 84, was a longtime St. Landry Parish educator and was first elected Melville’s mayor in 2018, winning 70% of the vote. She previously served on the town’s board of alderman, serving in the mid-1990s to early 2000s and again before she was elected to her mayoral post, according to Louisiana Secretary of State records. 

Hendrix was running for reelection against two challengers.

She was riding in a SUV when it was struck by a truck that attempted to cross lanes and struck the SUV on its passenger side. The truck’s driver was cited for failure to yield.

It is being reported that Hendrix was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where she died from her injuries, said Louisiana State Police Trooper Thomas Gossen in a statement.