Man Sculpting MLK Statue for State Capitol Dies in Crash

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The man who was creating a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meant for the grounds of the State Capitol has died after being involved in an accident on his motorcycle.

Andy Davis, 53, was rear-ended in Henry County by a pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Corey Sease just after midnight Saturday, the Georgia State Patrol told WSB-TV. Sease was charged with DUI, marijuana possession, and following too closely, troopers told the station.

Davis was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died on Sunday night. His family told WSB-TV that his organs would be donated.

Gov. Nathan Deal said in January that the statue of Dr. King would be erected at the newly-opened Liberty Plaza, an area of the capitol campus which will soon be used for meetings, protests, and other assemblies.

In 2013, Deal ordered the removal of the 12-foot statue of Tom Watson which stood outside the capitol building for decades, claiming the move was related to renovations to the capitol. Watson, a U.S. Senator from Georgia, once championed the rights of all disadvantaged Americans but later changed his views and became a white supremacist leader. The statue was moved off the capitol grounds and now stands across the street at Park Plaza.