Tulsa Motorcyclist Killed After Taking Out Fire Hydrant

Traffic investigators say a motorcyclist was killed in a west Tulsa wreck in the 3500 block of Charles Page Boulevard. It happened in an industrial area along the Arkansas River at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Police say Johnny Yeatman's Harley failed to make a curve and jumped the curb. He took out a fire hydrant, knocking it off its base, before crashing.

 Authorities at the scene say speed was a factor in the wreck.

"Because of the debris field you see - which is all over - that indicates to us that speed was definitely a factor," said Sergeant Chris Witt, Tulsa Police Department. 

The speedometer was frozen at 54 mph, so police know Yeatman was going at least that fast, he said.

Police say the 52-year-old rider was being followed by his son when the crash took place.

"The son laid his bike down, jumped off of it and ran down here to check on his father," Witt said. He said the son was fairly calm and able to give police a good description of what happened.

"Speed was definitely the contributing factor in this case," he said. "Slowing down and maintaining the speed limit would be critical."