Staff photo / Brandon Cantwell Hubbard acting Mayor Michael Mogg gives an update at Monday’s council meeting on Mayor Ben Kyle, who remains hospitalized after being injured in a crash on New Year’s Day.

HUBBARD — Council President Michael Mogg said Mayor Ben Kyle will be out of commission for “quite a while” after he and other family members were involved in a crash on New Year’s Day while vacationing in the Bahamas.

Mogg, who became acting mayor Friday night after receiving a text and seeing the severity of Kyle’s injuries, said Kyle could be out for “four months to a year,” noting that the injuries were severe, but not life-threatening.

Councilman Jerome Crowe, D-at Large, was named president pro tem in Mogg’s place, a decision Mogg said was backed by other officials.

Mogg said his position as council president automatically put him in a position to be acting mayor, which is why he did not need to be sworn in.

Mogg said he heard Kyle’s wife broke her leg but had it fixed. She then flew back to Florida, where Kyle remains in a hospital to recover and undergo surgery. He said Kyle’s children are back in Hubbard.

“There’s a large group of them in a 15-passenger van, and I heard it was pretty severe,” Mogg said.

Mogg said he will not be filling the service director position while Kyle is out, explaining that Safety Director Shawn Rentz is handling those responsibilities in the meantime.

Mogg said he has no idea what he’ll be immediately dealing with in terms of mayoral business, noting that he stopped by the mayor’s office on the way to work and Kyle’s secretary had him sign paperwork.

“I am going to Columbus for some training next week for one day, so hopefully that will help, and we’ll go from there,” Mogg said.

Kyle issued a statement early Monday, thanking the Hubbard community and calling his trip to the Bahamas an “unforgettable experience,” as learning to snorkel and swim with marine life was always something his family looked forward to experiencing.

“Unfortunately, a tragedy cut it all short when a driver drove straight into our van after our day exploring the islands,” Kyle said. “Thankfully, everyone made it out of the accident and subsequent emergency travel alive and are on the road to recovery.”

Kyle said the “small world connections” to the Youngstown-Warren area were evident with every little turn.

“Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital (part of UHealth/UMiami) doctors and nurses have gone above and beyond to help in such a tragic situation where families are separated,” Kyle said. “The flight into Miami was JET ICU, which had a paramedic onboard whose career fire service partner was from Berlin Center.”

Kyle said friends and family have made it to Miami to spend time with him and help navigate what to do.