Press staff reports
CHICKEN CREEK – An Oklahoma City man was listed in critical condition Saturday night after the motorcycle he was riding hit a deer.
James Ray Blakely, 39, was riding a 2007 Kawasaki motorcycle on Chicken Creek Road at 7:05 p.m. Saturday when the deer jumped onto the road and was hit by the motorcycle.
Blakely, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered head injuries. He was taken to Tahlequah City Hospital by Cherokee Nation EMS.
The cause of the crash is listed as an animal in the roadway. Blakely was headed north, and the motorcycle turned onto its side and slid 64 feet, coming to rest against a tree.
The crash was investigated by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Josh Lawson assisted by OHP Trooper Kane Wyatt, Cherokee Nation EMS, Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies and Chicken Creek firefighters.
