A Christian comedian whose friends praised his passion for life died Tuesday after he was struck by a car along Interstate 285.
Fulton County police Cpl. Kay Lester said Dwight ‘Lanny’ Moody, 54, of Covington, had pulled over to the right shoulder lane at I-285 southbound just before Cascade Road, when a second vehicle, driven by Benjamin Head, 70, of Jackson, struck Moody around 3:30 p.m.
“For some reason he (Moody) was outside of the vehicle. We may believe he was checking a load,” Lester said. “There was no evidence that he was changing a tire… it was an 18-wheeler flatbed vehicle.”
Lester said the 18-wheeler had the name Heaton Erecting, Inc., where friends said Moody worked. She said he died from his injuries at the scene.
Lester said Head faces misdemeanor charges of homicide by vehicle and failure to maintain lane. Head was later released and has a court date on Jan. 16, 2014.
Moody, a member of Solid Rock Baptist Church in Covington, was a youth pastor at the church for five years and a well-known Christian comedian with his own ministry, Upside Down Comedy. Several of his comedy acts can be seen on YouTube.
His pastor, Mike Franklin, said Moody has traveled the state with his comedy act, “Mr. Dynamic.” Franklin said Moody also was involved with the Christian Motorcycle Association, a group whose purpose is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with motorcyclists, and was an evangelist for the Southern Baptist Convention with his comedic character.
“He loved life and he loved his Lord. He loved Jesus and he was a big advocate of sharing that with people and he wasn’t ashamed of sharing that,” Franklin said.
Family and friends said Moody worked as a crane operator for more than 25 years. And though he worked very hard at that occupation, family members said, his true passion was for the church. He recently completed his bachelor’s degree at Andersonville Theological Seminary.
Franklin said Moody also was passionate about his family.
“He loved his wife Paula and loved those grandkids,” Franklin said.
