Fourth of July weekend is a popular time for car travel. This year, approximately 43.6 million Americans drove to their destinations, the highest on record for this holiday and 5 percent more than the previous record set in 2019, according to the AAA automotive group. Sadly, the National Safety Council estimated 400 to 580 deaths on U.S. roads this past holiday weekend.
Our Oklahoma communities were not spared from the devastation, as seven crashes ended fatally including:
- A motorcycle crash on Interstate 244 in Tulsa on July 5. Tulsa native, Joaquin Sanchez, 28, was riding a 2012 Honda motorcycle east in Tulsa on I-244 at an excessive speed around 2 a.m. Just west of Harvard Avenue, the motorcycle ran off the right side of the road and hit a sign. Tulsa Troopers said Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene.
- A motorcycle crash near Jay in Delaware County on July 4 around 9:30 p.m. Ricky Greenfeather, 45, of Vinita, was killed when his motorcycle hit a sign. The crash occurred on U.S. 59 about 2 miles south of Jay. Greenfeather was riding a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle when he ran off the right side of the road on a curve and hit a sign. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers said a female passenger was treated for injuries and released.
- A motorcycle crash west of Miami in Ottawa County Saturday, July 3 at 2 a.m. A Miami man was riding a 1996 Harley Davidson west on Oklahoma 10 about 1.5 miles west of Miami when the motorcycle hit a deer, troopers said. A passenger, Latisha Nolen, 39, of Miami, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the man was taken to a Joplin hospital in critical condition. Neither Nolen nor the driver was wearing a helmet, troopers said.
- A car crash on Interstate 35 near Davis on Saturday, July 3. A man was killed when he was ejected from a vehicle. He was a passenger in a northbound 2010 Nissan Sentra driven by a Healdton man that ran off the right side of the interstate. The car hit a 35-foot trailer of an unoccupied pickup that was parked on the shoulder. Troopers said the passenger in the Sentra was ejected. His identity has yet to be released. The driver of the Sentra was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
- A car crash six miles north of Copan killing 29 year old, Ethan Smith of Caney, KS. At approximately 4:40 a.m., troopers said Copan struck a bridge and then a tree in his 1997 Ford F-250.
- A car crash near Ardmore in Carter County on July 4 at around 7 a.m., which left Dustin Pittman dead. Forty-four year old Pittman of Elk City was driving a 2008 Pontiac G6 south on U.S. 77 about two miles south of Ardmore when the vehicle ran off the right side of the road and hit an embankment. Pittman was pinned in the wreckage and was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said.
- A car crash in Pottawatomie County on July 4 killing 84 year old, John Retzlaff of Wanette. The Trailblazer was driven by another Wanette man, the driver was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital. Retzlaff was pronounced dead at the scene on Oklahoma 9, half a mile west of Tecumseh after the collision occurred at about 7:15 a.m.
Carr and Carr Attorneys have been serving Tulsa and Oklahoma City for almost 50 years. If you or someone you love has been injured, or if someone you love has lost their life in an accident, contact us today for a free consultation at 866-510-0580 or online.
