Tragic traffic accident leaves one dead and four in jail

A Tulsa family is in mourning. 18-year-old Kyle Henry was killed in a traffic accident Saturday evening believed to have been the result of a drunk driver. <br><br>News on Six reporter Rick Wells has

Monday, November 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A Tulsa family is in mourning. 18-year-old Kyle Henry was killed in a traffic accident Saturday evening believed to have been the result of a drunk driver.

News on Six reporter Rick Wells has details on the tragic accident and the bizarre events that followed. Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Joseph Hendren, â€œthere's been four people here tonight arrested for DUI." Not to mention the 18-year-old passenger in a Camero killed, his driver transported by EMSA ambulance to the hospital and the resulting traffic tie-up that closed I-44 westbound for about an hour and a half.

According to the accident report, this is how this series of bizarre series of events happened. A Chevy pickup truck traveling westbound on the service road lost control at some point, jumped a grassy strip, crossed two lanes of traffic and hit that concrete barricade. After the Chevy pickup hit the concrete barrier, a Camero and a Ford F350 pickup slowed down to avoid hitting the pickup.

Behind them came a red Chevy mini van, which hit the right rear of the Camero, spinning it around, and then hitting the red ford pickup in the left side forcing it on the grassy median.

The situation then went from tragic to bizarre. Troopers arrested Roberto Santocruz, for driving under the influence, and driving without a license. The driver of the Chevy pickup that originally hit the barrier was also suspected of DUI. Trooper Hendren, â€œsince we've been here we've arrested two extra drunks as they were coming by."

One of them was a woman, identified as Roberto Santocruz's wife; she was also cuffed, suspected of DUI. The driver of another car drove up on the scene nearly causing another collision, troopers arrested him for DUI as well. Hendren, â€œits pretty self explanatory how this happened, one person lost their life, because someone wanted to drink and drive and get out here without a license, obviously they don't have their priorities straight, and not thinking about other people. The moral of the story is don't drink and drive, as everybody says."

A lost life, thousands in property damage and four facing DUI charges, and the holiday drinking and driving season is still ahead of us. Although there were no drunk driving statistics readily available for Oklahoma for this year, MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, reports 266 alcohol related traffic fatalities in Oklahoma last year.

MADD will release its report card on Oklahoma anti-drunk driving programs on Thursday.