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I-35 Crash in Oklahoma City Kills Trooper Vernon Brake and Two Others

Investigators say a driver swerved to miss fallen equipment, crossing the median barrier into northbound lanes.

Overview

  • The multi-vehicle collision on I-35 between Britton Road and Hefner Road on Wednesday killed Trooper Vernon Brake, a nearly 20-year veteran, a woman driver, and her 4-year-old child.
  • The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a vehicle dropped heavy equipment onto the road and a southbound driver tried to avoid it, crossed a cable barrier, and struck the trooper on northbound I-35.
  • Officials treated the site as a crime scene and kept northbound lanes closed with traffic diverted near the Hefner Road exit.
  • A procession in Oklahoma City honored Trooper Brake on Wednesday afternoon.
  • Brake is survived by his wife and two children, and law enforcement agencies across the state posted public condolences.