Moore County mayor killed in Bedford County crash

Rescue workers prepare to remove Peggy B. Gattis from her car following a crash Thursday afternoon south of Flat Creek on Highway 82 South. (T-G Photo by David Melson)

The mayor of Moore County died Thursday afternoon in a single-car crash approximately two miles south of Flat Creek on State Highway 82 South.

A worker from a Tennessee Department of Transportation road crew discovered the crumpled Nissan Altima containing the body of Peggy B. Gattis, 63, of Spencer Ridge Road near Lynchburg, about 3:20 p.m., State Trooper Jesse Shumake said.

The car was wedged upside down in a shallow creek next to a culvert under a small bridge across the roadway from the Ike Farrar property. Water stood several inches deep in the car's interior.

"I have no idea why she lost control," Shumake said.

Gattis was returning to Moore County from an economic conference at Henry Horton State Park near Chapel Hill, according to Shumake.

"She was traveling south on Highway 82, ran off the left side of the roadway, impacted an embankment and overturned before coming to rest upside down in the creek," the trooper said.

The car appeared to have traveled approximately 60 to 70 yards after running off the road on a curve. "Based on the distance she traveled, speed wasn't a factor," Shumake said.

The vehicle was in the creek for some time before being spotted, according to Shumake.

"It was there for up to two hours. It had been there a while."

Gattis was dead when found, Shumake said. He was unsure, pending further investigation, if she had been killed instantly. Rescue workers at the scene said they couldn't determine if Gattis was killed from accident injuries or drowned. She was wearing a seat belt, investigators said.

The trooper said he knew Gattis personally.

"She was a fine, upstanding lady," Shumake said. "She was very active in the community and was a member of Lois Church of Christ.

"She was just a great person all the way around. If you needed help she'd help you -- it's just the kind of lady Miss Peggy was."

Moore County's elected officials were mourning Gattis today.

"She was one of the finest people in Moore County," an emotional Circuit Court Clerk Trixie Harrison said. "She did an outstanding job as mayor.

Chief Deputy David Williams Jr., of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, points out the long distance traveled by the car driven by Peggy Gattis before it came to rest upside down in a creek south of Flat Creek. (T-G Photo by David Melson) [Click to enlarge]

"She always put the people of Moore County first."

Bedford County Mayor Eugene Ray called Gattis "a good friend" and "a very good Christian lady" and said they had served on committees together. He said the last time he saw Gattis was Thursday at the regional mayor's meeting at Henry Horton.

"Make sure you stay out of trouble," she told him, playfully. He responded that she should try to stay out of trouble as well.

Ray described Gattis this way: "high morals, high integrity, good moral values, a very outstanding mayor."

"She's going to be sadly missed," he said.

-- T-G City Editor John I. Carney contributed to this story.