Recently, a 24-year-old Oklahoma man chose to steal a utility truck from an auto repair business. His actions resulted in a dangerous police chase and the loss of one life.
According to the police, officers received a report just before dawn that an intruder had stolen a vehicle from the repair shop. Both police and highway troopers responded to the report and witnessed the utility truck leaving the premises. Troopers began to chase the man, who led them onto a Tulsa International Airport runway.
As the stolen truck approached a private jet, a trooper rammed the car because he was worried there might be passengers on board the aircraft. This did divert the stolen truck, but it did not prevent a fatal truck accident.
After the truck veered away from the airplane, it “crossed over a runway twice” before crashing through the airport’s fencing. The truck then entered highway U.S. 75 where it crashed head-on into another vehicle. Unfortunately, the unnamed driver of the other vehicle involved in the truck accident did not survive.
The driver reportedly fled on foot after the accident, but the authorities eventually caught up to him. At the time of the news report, he had not been formally charged but was being questioned on suspicion of murder.
The family members of the person killed in this truck accident will face some unique challenges of a legal nature. Because the truck was stolen, it may difficult to identify any responsibility apart from the man who stole and drove the truck. If the family wishes to pursue this case, it will benefit them to talk with a personal injury lawyer.
Source: U.S. News and World Report, “Patrol: Stolen Utility Truck Plows Across Runway, Kills 1 | Oklahoma News,” Justin Juozapavicius, May 24, 2017
