Family Remembers Crash Victims

A family waits for the lone survivor of car crash to come out of a coma.  Three people were killed in a car wreck Sunday afternoon in Catoosa, but 17-year-old Justin Wylie survived.  The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports Justin was a newlywed, but is now a widower.

His 18-year-old wife was driving and she was killed, along with a family friend, and a man in another car.

The family waiting room in a surgery ward has been home for the last few days for Stephen Eaton.  He's holding vigil for his son, 17-year-old Justin Wylie, the only survivor of this accident that killed three people.

"And it's just been horrible, tragedy, tragedy," said Stephen Eaton.

Justin has a broken femur and jaw.  He also sustained liver and spleen damage.  He has more than 300 stitches in his face.

But the greater tragedy is that his 18-year-old wife was killed, and because Justin is in a coma, he doesn't even know.

"I'm almost positive he has no idea," said Justin's brother, James.

Justin's older brother says though he married young and dropped out of school, Justin had a bright future.  Now they're hoping, but not sure, that he will wake up.

"I love my brother very much and it pains me and hurts me to see him in there, and I can't bear the thought of him waking up and realizing the accident took his wife," said Justin's brother, James.

Natalie Wylie was driving the blue car when it crossed the center line and hit a pickup head on.

A Broken Arrow man, 70-year-old Charles Payne, was killed in the pickup and a passenger in the Wylie's car, 17-year-old Skyler Fields was also killed.

Now the parents of the young couple are trying to stay close by the hospital and also plan a funeral.

"They wanted her to be buried in the wedding dress, which was beautiful.  Flowers she picked out in New Mexico, we got for her," said Stephen Eaton.

Natalie's funeral is Thursday afternoon.  Payne's is Friday.  And, Field's is set for Sunday.

Justin Wylie will be in the hospital long after that, while his father waits and hopes.

The Wylie family is trying to raise money for the funeral and they're sure they'll have some expensive medical needs for Justin.  He remains in an induced coma, but the family says the doctors hope to bring him out of that in the next few days.

Find more stories on NewsOn6.com's Local News page.

Related stories:

3/10/2008  Three Killed In Crash

3/09/2008 Sunday Drives Turn Deadly In Green Country