SAD, chilling news...!

[Collier11]

My mom and step-dad live in Okeene, my mother called me about an hour ago and said that upon celebrating their first state title in 25 years there was a really bad wreck this morning around 7 or 8 in the morning and atleast one kid died and another is paralyzed from the neck down. There may be more but no one really knows yet. I dont have a link, just going off of the conversation with my mom. One of my best friends in college is from velma alma so we went to the game lastnite, it is very chilling to think that one or more kids who I just watched play a football game lastnite may be dead, My prayers are with the families.

[Collier11]

Im not sure if it was due to drinking, falling asleep at the wheel, or just a wreck so lets hope it was atleast not drinking and driving

[DrZaius]

I hope everyone is ok!

[All_Day_28]

:(

[guzziguy]

Doesn't get any worse than young people hurt and/or killed.

[Collier11]

I dont mean in any way to make sports seem important when something like this happens, but can any of you imagine winning a state championship and having all of those amazing feelings and then waking up the next morning and learning that several of your teammates are hurt and/or dead...its hard to think of dealing with a situation like that

[BajaOklahoma]

Losing a child is one of the most difficult experiences in life.

[OUmillenium]

Our prayers go out to Okeene. My HS basketball team almost played them in the 89 playoffs. Went to scout them v. Geary HS.

[birddog]

Im not sure if it was due to drinking, falling asleep at the wheel, or just a wreck so lets hope it was atleast not drinking and driving

if it is drinking and driving, you might want to consider changing your sig.

[Collier11]

While my sig is not in any way ME advocating drinking and driving(it is a stupid cartoon about a mouse) I understand where you are coming from

[Soonerus]

Horrible. any link yet ???

[Collier11]

nothing, on the enid news and eagle web site, there is a link titled emergency crews on scene of accident, but I cant find any details yet...

[Flagstaffsooner]

:( God bless them.

[Al Gore]

Losing a child is one of the most difficult experiences in life.Yes it is....

[Collier11]

Here is the latest info on the crash...

[Collier11]

there were three kids involved, one who had graduated two years ago(driver) and two kids who are on the football team now. They were driving around after partying all night, the driver was drunk and the other two were also(supposedly) when they decided to go hunting(true story), the kid driving started driving really fast and the other two kids told him to slow down repeatedly, he wouldnt do it so they put on their seat belts while he did not. Eventually he lost control, rolled 4 times I believe, it through him out and he was killed at the scene, of the two kids still in school one broke his neck and they think he might be paralyzed from the neck down(still too early to tell obviously) and the other one walked away.

[Collier11]

This is the best info I have come across and this is from people who are aware of the situation

[Collier11]

One dead, one critical in crash near Okeene
By Scott Fitzgerald Staff Writer

OKEENE — Zane Cottrill, 20, of Isabella, a former Okeene High School football player, was killed Sunday morning and Chance L. Fisher, 18, a current member of the Class A state championship team was in critical condition at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center with neck injuries resulting from a single-vehicle accident in Blaine County.

Michael B. Lamle, another member of the championship team, was not injured in the crash, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The accident occurred at 8:33 a.m. about a half-mile north of Okeene on a county road.

Cottrill was pronounced dead at the scene. He suffered head and trunk injuries, according to the OHP.

EagleMed flew Fisher to the medical center where he was admitted with neck injuries, according to the OHP.

A medical center nurse said Fisher remained in critical condition Sunday night in the center’s intensive care unit.

An OHP trooper investigating the accident had detected an odor of alcoholic beverage from Cottrill, according to the report. He was driving a 2006 GMC pickup south on the county road at an unsafe speed when the accident occurred, according to the OHP.

Cottrill lost control of the vehicle, which ran off the west side of the road and rolled an undetermined number of times before coming to rest on its passenger side in a field.

Cottrill was not wearing his seat belt, but Fisher and Lamle were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the OHP.

OHP Trooper John Wiemer of the Troop J Kingfisher County detachment investigated the crash. Assisting at the scene were Okeene police, fire and EMS units.

Cottrill was a member of the 2002 Okeene Whippets that reached the Class A state semifinals.

Okeene won the Class A state championship game Saturday night, beating Velma-Alma 24-14 at Wantland Stadium in Edmond.

[william_brasky]

Prayers to Okeene.

[zeke]

Very sad. Prayers to the families of those involved and to Okeene.

I did some of the same sort of stuff when I was young and just by the grace of God I didnt get killed or kill any one else. We have to keep preaching to our kids (and everyone) that drinking & driving will eventually end up in tragedy.

[westcoast_sooner]

Terrible news, and my prayers go out to the families.

[imjebus]

Very sad. Prayers to the families of those involved and to Okeene.

I did some of the same sort of stuff when I was young and just by the grace of God I didnt get killed or kill any one else. We have to keep preaching to our kids (and everyone) that drinking & driving will eventually end up in tragedy.

I have known the family of the kid who was driving and died for many years. Unfortunately their was alcohol involved. The kids were still out partying after getting back from the game. Very bad deal. I have spent many nights out on the roads that this happened on and it could have very well happened to me at least 100 times. My understanding is the kid that broke his neck does not have a spinal cord injury but is still numb from the neck down. Hopefully he will get feeling back when the swelling goes down.

[picasso]

man that sucks.

some local boys here did the same after graduation last spring. one died when he was thrown from the vehicle.

[soonerloyal]

God bless the boys, their families, and those who love them. Prayers and hope going out for them as we speak...

[Okieflyer]

I'm glad someone had this story. My cousin is the Head coach of Velma-Alma and we had gone to the game Saturday.

My son came home yesterday and just told me that a player had been killed on the way home from the game. Didn't know the team or much else. I couldn't find anything on it yesterday. Thanks for posting the story.

What a sad deal. It was a great game and this stuff just breaks your heart.

[Collier11]

Its just terrible, like I said my buddy is from Velma and we went to the game. It is really wierd knowing that I had watched those boys play fball a few hours before this, hopefully the kid with the broken neck will regain his ability to walk...

[DustySooner]

Horrible...just horrible. God only knows what their family and friends are going through right now. My prayers are with them.

[BigHouseDon]

Very sad. Prayers to the families of those involved and to Okeene.

I did some of the same sort of stuff when I was young and just by the grace of God I didnt get killed or kill any one else. We have to keep preaching to our kids (and everyone) that drinking & driving will eventually end up in tragedy.


I did some of that stuff too. Its amazing to me that kids today do this stuff with all the groups out there like MADD telling them what a bad idea it is. When I was a kid getting high was cool and the drinking age (in Mich) was 18. Looking back on it, I'm surprised so many of us survived the stupid years. It kinda puts sports in perspective doen't it.

[Okieflyer]

One scary thing is that they had to put their seat belts on after he started driving fast. With me anymore it's automatic. I feel strange without it on. When I first started driving hardly anyone used them. They were stuff in the seat in most cars, but with the information out there about them I don't know how you could be that ignorant.

[stoopified]

That is so sad and senseless.

[OUswagger]

Sorry to hear a tragic story. I hope that others can learn from the mistake of drinking and driving or underage drinking. I warn my kids all the time of other people doing this and to watch out for them. Hopefully we can make some kind of impact by warning over and over of the outcome of drinking and driving. Prayers and thoughts to the families and community.

[ouwasp]

Collier, please update us on the status of the injured boy when you learn something.

Thanks

[Collier11]

He went into surgery yesterday at 2 but they wont know if he will regain feeling until the swelling goes down, thats the last ive heard