December 27th, 2019
By News Director Jared Atha
It was a busy Christmas holiday season on Oklahoma roadways in western Oklahoma.
Three accidents involving injury were reported by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Kiowa, Jackson and Ellis counties.
The first on Christmas Eve took place in Kiowa county on a county road north of Lone Wolf. According to the OHP report 24-year-old Mark Mendoza of Hobart was driving at an excessive speed and lost control, departing to the right and struck an embankment sending the vehicle airborne. The vehicle then rolled an undetermined number of times, ejecting the driver thru the sunroof. Mendoza was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital and admitted with head and spinal injuries. He was last listed to be in serious condition.
The second accident also took place on Christmas Eve, this time in Jackson county. OHP says 43-year-old Dudley W. Haley of Blair was transported to Jackson County Memorial in Altus after losing control of his vehicle on a private drive south of Altus. Haley was last listed in good condition with head injuries.
The third accident took place on Christmas morning in Ellis county when 28-year-old Woodward resident Austin Duane Clark lost control of his vehicle on a county road near Fargo, hit a fence, and rolled two times coming to rest on its wheels. Clark was ejected during the accident. OHP reported the cause of the accident is suspected DUI. Clark was last listed to be in stable condition in an Oklahoma City hospital with head and trunk internal injuries.
