Barbour County House of Delegates candidate John Rose was killed on Tuesday when a tree struck him and killed him on the spot during a snowstorm in the region caused by hurricane Sandy.
According to the Charleston Daily Mail, the 60-year-old went outside to check the fence during the massive snowstorm in West Virginia due to hurricane Sandy.
Rose was running in the House's 47th District. It is still unclear what the State plans to do about replacing Rose, the LA Times reports that with less than a week left to the elections, it might be too late. According to the Charleston Daily Mail, "he was known at the Legislature as an advocate of deer farms, where captive herds are bred for hunting, as livestock and for commercial products."
West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant released a statement passing her condolences to Rose's family.
Rose was one of the five people who lost their lives in the storm. Rose leaves three children and a wife behind.
The region still suffers from major power outages and floorings. According to CNN, nearly 200,000 people are out of power. Authorities say that currently they are dealing with clearing the snow covered roads, so that electricians can fix the power problem. According to reports 28 of the 50 counties in the States are experiencing power problems.
The state's Governor, Earl Ray Tomblin, told CNN News, "It was a triple punch to West Virginia...Lots of heavy rain that turned into blizzard conditions, and high winds."
