Monday, August 22nd 2022, 6:20 pm
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the driver who hit and killed an Osage County Deputy last Friday was a 14 year old girl.
Investigators say the girl hit another driver before slamming into Captain Willy Hargraves’ truck.
Troopers say a 42-year-old woman was in the passenger seat but she and the 14-year-old were not severely injured in the crash.
Troopers say Hargraves was pinned for several hours before being rescued by first responders.
Troopers initially reported that the adult was the driver but determined that was not the case during the investigation. There was also a third vehicle involved whose driver was also not injured.
The report shows the deputy was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Since the crash, Oklahoma community members have been finding ways to honor the life of Captain Hargraves.
Several people say Captain Hargraves was an incredible man, deputy, and fire chief and now they want to pay their respects in any way they can.
Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden said since Captain Hargraves was killed in a car crash on Friday, everything has been a whirlwind.
“Of course when dispatch called saying ‘we have an accident and the captain is involved’, we had everybody going and responded with lights and sirens heading that way,” Virden said.
He said since the crash, there has been an overwhelming show of support from the community in the form of a temporary patrol car memorial at the Sheriff’s Office and a cross placed at the Osage Cove Fire Department where Captain Hargraves was the fire chief for many years.
“There is all kinds of letters, flyers, flags, it’s growing every day,” Virden said.
Idle Time Creations in Skiatook is also printing and selling t-shirts as a fundraiser, all of the proceeds will go to Willy's wife and three kids. Owner Kelly Young said the shirts will be on sale for the next few weeks. They can be purchased online here****** http://idletimecreations.com/idle_time_creations/shop/home
“It’s important I think to the family and it’s an honor for us to be able to do it,” Young said.
Sheriff Virden said this has been a dark few days for the department, but the light of the community's love is showing through.
“This is something that really makes our staff and his family know that it does count those sacrifices that get made do count” Virden said.
Community members said they plan on putting up a banner and other signs at the memorials in the coming days to make sure people remember Captain Hargraves.
The patrol car will stay out there for the next few weeks if you would like to come out and add to the memorial.
If you would like to make a monetary donation to the family, you can do so at the Blue Sky Bank in Pawhuska or click here for more donation options. Captain Hargraves’ funeral arrangements can also be found on that page.
An official report about the crash that killed an Osage County Deputy has been released by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
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