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A father and high school football coach died Saturday, August 10 in a freak Maryland motor vehicle accident when his riding lawnmower rolled over him, Maryland State Police say. The victim has been identified as Terry Verdier, 42 years old and a Washington County resident.
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, police were called to the scene of a serious accident at Verdier’s home on Jefferson Boulevard in Smithsburg. They found the man pinned underneath a zero-turn style riding mowing tractor.
Police believe that Verdier was attempting to cut grass on a hillside along his property when the mower apparently rolled over, trapping him. It was unclear how long Verdier had been trapped beneath the mower before he was discovered. He was taken to Meritus Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the accident. Police continue to investigate the circumstances of the accident.
Verdier leaves behind his wife, Diane, and two daughters, 10-year-old Emma and 8-year-old Brynne. His mother-in-law, Dorothy Barber, described him as a “devoted husband and father.”
Verdier was also devoted to the football program at Smithsburg High School, according to the school’s Varsity Head Coach Buddy Orndorff. Verdier had served as quarterback for the 1988 Leopards team that won the Maryland Class A state championship and returned to help coach the school’s junior varsity team. During his 18 years with the program, he worked his way up to defensive coordinator for the varsity team.
We express our sympathies to Verdier’s wife, daughters, and remaining family and friends in their time of grief.