OHP: 3 Injured In Alcohol-Involved Cherokee County Crash

Three people were injured in a collision Saturday night three miles north of Tahlequah after the driver of an SUV drove off the road and struck a tree, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said alcohol contributed to the crash.

In a collision report, troopers said Matthew Lopez of Muskogee was driving a 2017 Nissan Murano west on County Road 730 in Cherokee County when the SUV left the road and hit a tree. Troopers cited alcohol DUI/DWI as the cause of the collision.

Lopez, 27, was taken to a Tahlequah hospital where he was treated and released. 

Two of Lopez's four passengers were also injured, including a 4-year-old girl, who was taken by Cherokee Nation EMS to a Tulsa Hospital where she was admitted with head injuries and is said to be stable.

Ashley Bruner, 27, of Muskogee, was taken by EMS to a Tahlequah hospital where she was treated for arm injuries and released. 

Two other passengers, a 9-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, were not injured, troopers said.