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Two killed in holiday weekend collisions on U.S. 69, Lake Eufaula
MCALESTER, Sep 06, 2010 (McAlester News-Capital - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported two accidents with fatalities in the area, despite warnings last week to use extra caution on the road and in the water this Labor Day weekend. One man died as a result of a collision between two boats on Lake Eufaula Saturday evening, and another person died in an automobile accident on US Highway 69 near Canadian Sunday night.
According to the Oklahoma Lake Patrol, Greg Scherff, 38, Oklahoma City, was killed when the 2002 Sea Ray in which he was a passenger was struck from behind while it was stopped on the lake just before 6:30 Saturday evening.
Trooper Matt Drummond, who is investigating the incident, said a white Cobalt driven by Aaron Jones, 24, of Oklahoma City, ran into the Sea Ray and then fled the scene. Apparently, Jones was an acquaintance with someone in the Sea Ray, and they identified him to investigators and gave them Jones' telephone number, Drummond said.
"We called him several times, and he finally returned our call Sunday," Drummond said. "We located him, spoke with him and retrieved the boat."
Jones has not been arrested and no charges have yet been filed in the collision, Drummond said, adding that the case remains under investigation.
Neither Jones nor his passenger, Sarah Walker, age and address unknown, were injured in the incident, Drummond said.
Though no one was ejected, all six passengers and the driver of the Sea Ray suffered injury, according to an accident report by OHP.
The driver of the Sea Ray, Adam Blackwell, 36, Yukon, and passenger Rita Chapman, age and address unknown, were transported to St. John's Medical Center in Tulsa with head and internal trunk injuries, where they are listed in stable condition.
Other passengers in the Sea Ray include: Julie Taylor, age and address unknown, who was transported to Muskogee Regional Medical Center, where she remains in stable condition with head and internal injuries; Terri Lewis, 36, of Moore, who was transported to the hospital in Eufaula and then was transferred to University Hospital in Oklahoma City, and is also in stable condition with a head injury; Brittany Clark, 15, of Moore, who was transported to the Eufaula hospital where she was treated for an arm injury; and Lisa Schones, 38, address unknown, who was treated and released for head and neck injuries.
Scherff was transported to Muskogee Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to OHP. Cause of death has not yet been determined.
On Sunday, a collision between two vehicles on U.S. Highway 69, one mile north of Canadian, resulted in the death of the unidentified driver of a 1993 four-door Plymouth after it ran head-on into the 2002 Dodge pickup driven by Jimmy Heald, 59, of Indianola.
According to the OHP report filed by Trooper Tim Wesley, the Plymouth was northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 69 just after 7:30 Sunday evening as the Dodge pickup was traveling south. The Plymouth was in the inside lane and swerved to the right, just as the pickup, traveling in the inside lane as well, swerved left, and the two collided.
The driver of the Plymouth was pinned in the wreckage for approximately 30 minutes before being freed by the Crowder Fire Department, according to the report, and was pronounced dead at the scene from head and trunk injuries. The driver's identity has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.
There were no passengers in the car at the time of the accident, according to OHP, which said the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
Troopers reported no injuries to Heald, though his passenger, Velma Heald, 56, of Indianola, was transported to McAlester Regional Health Center with a leg injury. She was treated and released.
The Healds were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision, according to the report.
Contact Mandy Carter at mcarter@mcalesternews.com.
To see more of the McAlester News-Capital or to subscribe to the newspaper, go
to http://www.mcalesternews.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, McAlester News-Capital,
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