Ben Tucker, a well known jazz musician in Savannah, died tragically in a car accident this week. The passing of this well known Georgia musician is a sobering reminder of the prevalence of accidents on the roadway. These incidents do not discriminate, and the reality is that anyone can be caught in a serious auto accident anytime they are in a vehicle.
Earlier in his career, the 82 year old musician played with stars like Quincy Jones and Peggy Lee and jazz legends like Dexter Gordon and Buddy Rich, and was still playing music in Savannah until his tragic death.
Mr. Tucker was known for playing an upright base, which he claimed was 240 years old and which he named “Bertha. During Mr. Tucker’s career, he wrote songs, the most well known of which is “Comin’ Home Baby. He had settled in Savannah in the 1970s, according to news reports, and is known and loved around town. He used to own two local radio stations, WSOK-AM and WLVH-FM. Mr. Tucker played at area weddings, jazz festivals, nightclubs, and even at bar mitzvahs. Friends said that people often came to greet him on the street and wanted to shake his hand, and many asserted he was one of the nicest people they knew, always happy to get involved in charity or help friends.
This kind musician, who also loved playing golf, was killed on Tuesday morning at about 11:45am when a speeding Chrysler 300 slammed into his golf cart on Hutchinson Island, according to a Savannah-Chatham police office spokesperson. He was crossing the Grand Prize of America Roadway at the time. The road is part of a former race track on the island, and Mr. Tucker was driving his golf cart from the golf course to the parking lot when the accident occurred. Mr. Tucker died later at the hospital. The speeding car was driven by a 52 year old Texan named Robert William Martin, who has since been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, racing, and reckless driving. He has been denied bail until his scheduled June 20 preliminary hearing in Chatham County. Martin was allegedly driving nearly 90 miles per hour when he hit Mr. Tucker’s golf cart. Martin claimed he had slowed down to 50 miles per hour at the intersection where the accident occurred.
Julius “BooHornstein, a jazz writer and friend of Mr. Tucker, said Mr. Tucker was healthy and in great shape for a man in his 80s and still played music regularly at a Savannah hotel. He said of his friend, “He was a working musician right to the end. He was so instrumental in the music life of Savannah.
Atlanta Car Accident Attorneys
If a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident with a negligent driver, the experienced personal injury attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC can help you understand your case and what can be done to get you the compensation you need and deserve. Speeding and reckless driving continue to be a serious problem in our state, and not only do victims deserve justice and compensation, but lessons need to be learned by those careless drivers who can cause so much damage to innocent bystanders like Mr. Tucker. Contact the accident attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC today at (800) 234-9556, or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form for a free consultation.
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