Troopers Advise Young Drivers To Put Safety First After Deadly Crash

A pickup truck overturned with six kids inside on June 1, leaving a 15-year-old girl dead.

Troopers said the teenage driver was going too fast, and several people in the truck were not wearing seatbelts.

Troopers said with school out, young drivers will have more free time to be on the road and that could mean more dangers if they do not make safety a priority.

OHP said on a sunny afternoon, a pickup truck with six people inside missed the curve on a gravel road in Cherokee County and rolled.

It happened as the truck was heading north on 569 Road, about eight miles north of Tahlequah.

“From what we understand, they were going to swim at the river,” said Lt. Mark Southall with OHP. “This road’s not very far from the Illinois River, looking to have a good time. Unfortunately, the driver took a curve a little too fast on a gravel road, unable to maintain the road and overturned one time.”

Southall said everyone, including the 18-year-old driver and her five passengers, are from Tahlequah.

Everyone in the truck was 18 or under.

“Four people were wearing a seatbelt,” said Southall. “Two weren’t. One that was not wearing a seatbelt was pronounced deceased. Another one was not injured. He was sitting in the middle, a 10-year-old boy.”

Troopers said the 15-year-old girl was thrown from the truck and died at the hospital.

Amy Peyton owns a business along the Illinois River, and she saw first responders rushing to the scene.

"Very traumatizing,” said Peyton. “My condolences go out to the family. There were so many young kids involved. I'm thankful that nobody else got hurt."

Peyton said she knows that dangerous gravel road too well.

"Just beyond my house, which is about a quarter of a mile from where the wreck happened, there's a bad S-turn, and then there's ditches on both sides,” said Peyton.

Troopers said young drivers with more free time this summer should always put safety first.

"We want to make sure that while they're going to and from these fun places that they're making sure they're wearing their seatbelts, that they're paying attention to their surroundings, that they're paying attention to what's going on in front of them," said Southall.

OHP said there was a different crash on June 2 in Osage County involving an 18-year-old driver and two teenage passengers.

Troopers encourage parents to talk to their kids about safety on the road.

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