A 40-year-old Kansas man was killed early Friday when his car crossed the center line on a rural Oklahoma highway, struck a culvert and went airborne before he was thrown from the vehicle. Chance Hartsell, of Elkhart, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene along U.S. 64 near Mile 17 in Texas County.
Hartsell was traveling east at about 4:51 a.m. when his vehicle crossed left of center and left the roadway, entering a ditch, according to abc7amarillo.com. The vehicle then struck a culvert, which caused it to become airborne. Hartsell was ejected in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner, per the same report.
A passenger in the vehicle was not injured, the outlet reported. The crash report also noted that not all occupants in the vehicle were wearing seat belts, though it did not specify which occupant or occupants were unbuckled.
Emergency Crews Respond to Remote Highway Crash
Emergency crews responded to the crash along Highway 64 near Mile 17, according to KOKH, which first reported on the fatal wreck.
A Deadly Pattern on Oklahoma Roads
The crash adds to a troubling statewide picture. Oklahoma has the 10th-highest traffic fatality rate of any state in the country, according to a report from oklahoman.com. The state's fatality rate stands at 1.35 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, compared with a national average of 1.1, even though the state has reportedly seen a 13% improvement in its overall traffic death numbers.
Texas County has seen other serious crashes on its roadways in recent reporting. Troopers separately investigated a deadly hit-and-run crash in the county, according to a report from KOKH, underscoring the hazards present on the region's rural highways. No further details connecting that incident to Friday's crash have been reported.
