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October 28, 2008

Father, sons killed in DUI crash on 82

By BOB GIBBINS

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — Three people died and another was seriously injured Monday afternoon in a crash involving two pickup trucks on State Highway 82, north of Tahlequah.

Alcohol played a role in the crash that killed Rudy Gourd, 52, and his sons – Eli Gourd, 20, and Russell Gourd, 29. The Gourds, who are Locust Grove residents, were in a 1994 Chevrolet pickup.

The driver of the other vehicle, Anthony Whitney, 30, of Wellsville, Kan., was listed in serious condition at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa with head, arm and leg injuries. Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports state Whitney’s ability to operate his 1995 GMC pickup was impaired by alcohol.

Whitney was southbound on S.H. 82 when his pickup went off the road to the left, overcorrected back to the right, and struck the northbound Gourd vehicle head-on.

Whitney was ejected 15 feet from the point of rest. OHP reports state the Gourds were pinned for 1-1/2 hours before being extricated by Tahlequah firefighters.

S.H. 82 near the scene had to be shut down, and traffic was diverted around the site for more than four hours while emergency services personnel worked the scene and troopers commenced their investigation.

Gideon Fire Chief Marty Kimble and fellow Gideon firefighters responded along with Tahlequah firefighters, Tahlequah City Hospital and Cherokee Nation EMS squads, Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers, including the agency’s fatality crash team.

OHP Lt. Jason Holt investigated the crash, which was reported at 1:45 p.m.

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