DeWayne Bunch (February 22, 1962 – July 11, 2012) was a teacher and a Republican politician in Kentucky.

Biography

Bunch taught mathematics and science at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He also was a member of the

Kentucky National Guard The Kentucky National Guard comprises the: *Kentucky Army National Guard *Kentucky Air National Guard See also * Kentucky Active Militia, the state defense force of Kentucky which replaced the Kentucky National Guard during World War I and World ...

for 23 years and served a tour of duty in Iraq. In 2010 he was elected to the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

, defeating incumbent Charlie Siler to represent the 82nd district ( Whitley County and part of

Laurel County Laurel County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,613. Its county seat is London. After a special election in January 2016 alcohol sales are permitted only ...

).Rep. Bunch critically injured in fight at Kentucky high school
, WATE.com, April 12, 2011 Bunch resigned his seat in the Kentucky House on October 26, 2011, following his head injury, and Kentucky Governor

Steven Beshear Steven Lynn Beshear (born September 21, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 61st governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, was the state's 44th attorn ...

called for a special election to be held December 20, 2011, to fill the rest of Bunch's term, which was to end December 31, 2012. DeWayne Bunch's wife Regina, a special education teacher at Whitley County Middle School, announced that she would seek to succeed him in office, running as a Republican. Local party leaders named Regina Bunch as their candidate. As of November 16, 2011,

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

leaders in Whitley County said they were unlikely to nominate a candidate to oppose her.Mark White
Following resignation, wife of former State Rep. to seek her husband's seat
''The News Journal'' (Corbin, Kentucky), October 27, 2011, accessed December 12, 2011

Head injury and death

On April 12, 2011, while attempting to break up a fight in the school

cafeteria A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school ...

, Bunch was knocked down and hit his head on the floor, which the local sheriff described as being hard "like slate". In the immediate aftermath of the incident he was reported to be in "extremely critical condition", after being rushed to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, where he was treated for more than two weeks, before being transferred to the Shepherd Center, a specialized facility in Atlanta for the treatment and rehabilitation of brain and

spinal cord injuries A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...

. By June, he was communicating with his family, and had regained certain abilities, but as of October 2011, he was still a patient at the Shepherd Center. Bunch died on July 11, 2012 from the injuries sustained the year before, aged 50.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunch, Dewayne 1962 births 2012 deaths Schoolteachers from Kentucky Republican Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Whitley County, Kentucky People with traumatic brain injuries