Boating Accident Still Offers Questions
It was about 1:30 a.m. July 30, on a dark night in the main lake between Drowning Creek and Duck Creek when two boats converged on each other, speed unknown, in what would become a violent collision. Neither driver could see the other due to a third boat in the vicinity, according to GRDA reports.
In a 1985 Formula 272LS, heading out of Drowning Creek to the North, were Jason L. Bandy, 35, of Tulsa, the driver; and passengers Murray McGarvey, 35, of Brunswick, Ga; Justin B. Doolin, 34, of Manford, and Tracie A. LaGere, 35, Oklahoma City. Doolin was listed as the boat owner, which was kept in a private dock in Grays Hollow. Bandy was later evacuated by air ambulance to St. John's Hospital in Tulsa, according to the GRDA accident report.
In a 2000 Sea Ray 280 headed towards Drowning Creek was John Special, 53, of Stillwater. GRDA reports do not identify any passengers in the boat.
GRDA accident reports show that the boat driven by Special hit the Formula in the starboard side towards the rear, knocking McGarvey out of the boat. The state medical examiner has reported the cause of death as "multiple chop injuries" and the manner of his death as accidental.
A third boat, driven by Ken Chambers, with two passengers aboard, Lance Miller and Dee O'Neal, all of Edmond, witnessed the accident, according to GRDA reports.
McGarvey's body did not float to the surface until Aug. 14 when it was observed by GRDA helicopter pilot Bob Billingsley. Sources say it was minus a head and one leg. Also involved in the investigation were the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Delaware County District Attorney's office.
According to news reports, GRDA Board Member David Chernicky is a close friend of Special's. They reportedly live a mile from each other on Duck Creek.
According to John Special's corporate website, Special Energy Corporation, he, Chris McCutchen, and Chernicky created a new company, New Dominion LLC in July 1998. That relationship ended in April 2002, according to the web site.
According to news reports, Chernicky says that Special sustained severe lacerations in the crash, left the scene, flew his private plane to Stillwater and got 37 stitches to his face. He says that Sunday afternoon Special returned to Grand Lake and reported the accident to GRDA. Both Special and Chernicky keep their boats on Duck Creek. After the accident, GRDA searched for the missing boat (Special's) for a couple of days.
Still, questions prevail. Why would an injured person requiring 37 stitches fly himself to Stillwater instead of getting treatment at Grove hospital? And what was he doing all by himself in a boat at 1:30 a.m.? Were both boats lighted? How fast were they going? Why isn't the Lake Patrol answering details?
Special has a long list of traffic violations, and even an arrest by the GRDA Lake Patrol in August 2005 for "operating a vessel in a manner not reasonable and proper." The arresting officer was Lake Patrolman Carlson, the same officer that investigated this year's boat collision. Special pled guilty in September, 2005, to that offense, according to Oklahoma District Court Records.
According to the Oklahoma State Courts Network web site, Special was arrested on 10 different occasions from November 1994 to September 2005 for traffic violations in Payne County. And according to the Oklahoma District Court Records web site, he had additional arrests for speeding in Oklahoma, Lincoln, Pawnee, and Cleveland counties from June 1999 to August 2000. In one case in January 1999, he was arrested for speeding 90 mph in a 75 mph zone in Lincoln County, according to District Court Records.
According to the GRDA accident report, neither driver could see the other, "both driver's view of each other blocked by vessel "A" (the witness boat) and had alcohol," says the report.
The GRDA lake patrol is referring all questions regarding the incident to the GRDA Legal Department, which itself is offering no answers other than what is contained in the accident report.
Additional answers to the many questions surrounding this incident will have to wait. One source said the lake patrol office has been filled with attorneys lately.
In a 1985 Formula 272LS, heading out of Drowning Creek to the North, were Jason L. Bandy, 35, of Tulsa, the driver; and passengers Murray McGarvey, 35, of Brunswick, Ga; Justin B. Doolin, 34, of Manford, and Tracie A. LaGere, 35, Oklahoma City. Doolin was listed as the boat owner, which was kept in a private dock in Grays Hollow. Bandy was later evacuated by air ambulance to St. John's Hospital in Tulsa, according to the GRDA accident report.
In a 2000 Sea Ray 280 headed towards Drowning Creek was John Special, 53, of Stillwater. GRDA reports do not identify any passengers in the boat.
GRDA accident reports show that the boat driven by Special hit the Formula in the starboard side towards the rear, knocking McGarvey out of the boat. The state medical examiner has reported the cause of death as "multiple chop injuries" and the manner of his death as accidental.
A third boat, driven by Ken Chambers, with two passengers aboard, Lance Miller and Dee O'Neal, all of Edmond, witnessed the accident, according to GRDA reports.
McGarvey's body did not float to the surface until Aug. 14 when it was observed by GRDA helicopter pilot Bob Billingsley. Sources say it was minus a head and one leg. Also involved in the investigation were the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Delaware County District Attorney's office.
According to news reports, GRDA Board Member David Chernicky is a close friend of Special's. They reportedly live a mile from each other on Duck Creek.
According to John Special's corporate website, Special Energy Corporation, he, Chris McCutchen, and Chernicky created a new company, New Dominion LLC in July 1998. That relationship ended in April 2002, according to the web site.
According to news reports, Chernicky says that Special sustained severe lacerations in the crash, left the scene, flew his private plane to Stillwater and got 37 stitches to his face. He says that Sunday afternoon Special returned to Grand Lake and reported the accident to GRDA. Both Special and Chernicky keep their boats on Duck Creek. After the accident, GRDA searched for the missing boat (Special's) for a couple of days.
Still, questions prevail. Why would an injured person requiring 37 stitches fly himself to Stillwater instead of getting treatment at Grove hospital? And what was he doing all by himself in a boat at 1:30 a.m.? Were both boats lighted? How fast were they going? Why isn't the Lake Patrol answering details?
Special has a long list of traffic violations, and even an arrest by the GRDA Lake Patrol in August 2005 for "operating a vessel in a manner not reasonable and proper." The arresting officer was Lake Patrolman Carlson, the same officer that investigated this year's boat collision. Special pled guilty in September, 2005, to that offense, according to Oklahoma District Court Records.
According to the Oklahoma State Courts Network web site, Special was arrested on 10 different occasions from November 1994 to September 2005 for traffic violations in Payne County. And according to the Oklahoma District Court Records web site, he had additional arrests for speeding in Oklahoma, Lincoln, Pawnee, and Cleveland counties from June 1999 to August 2000. In one case in January 1999, he was arrested for speeding 90 mph in a 75 mph zone in Lincoln County, according to District Court Records.
According to the GRDA accident report, neither driver could see the other, "both driver's view of each other blocked by vessel "A" (the witness boat) and had alcohol," says the report.
The GRDA lake patrol is referring all questions regarding the incident to the GRDA Legal Department, which itself is offering no answers other than what is contained in the accident report.
Additional answers to the many questions surrounding this incident will have to wait. One source said the lake patrol office has been filled with attorneys lately.
posted by Editor | 1:05 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home