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February 15, 2013

Chatham in serious condition after hit by car while crossing Elk Ave.

Megan Bristow The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — Melinda Chatham was transported to OU Trauma Center’s ICU after being struck by a vehicle Thursday night. Chatham, age 70, of Duncan, was hit about 7 p.m. as she was attempting to cross the road at Elk and 20th.

The driver, Liegh Ann Vinson, was possibly unable to see Chatham.

“The vehicle was leaving the hospital area and going east bound on Elk, which is going to be dark,” Duncan Police Department Patrol Captain Brian Attaway said. “There is not much lighting through there. The pedestrian was wearing a black shirt and black pants. She would have been pretty difficult to see.”

Attaway said the driver has been very cooperative in the investigation thus far.

“The driver did not see her and when she did see her, she attempted to stop,” he said. “She could not stop before colliding with the pedestrian.”

As of 8:20 a.m. Friday morning, Chatham was still in ICU in serious condition with various injuries including several broken bones.

“Due to her injuries, we called out our advance accident investigators,” Attaway said. “They marked the roadway and they are ging to come back in a few days, map it and try to reconstruct the accident.”

Attaway said combined with the bloodwork that was sent to OSBI, the accident reconstruction would help investigators determine if the driver violated any city ordinances or traffic laws.

“Right now, it does not appear that any city ordinances were violated,” he said. “It does not appear that the vehicle was speeding. Basically, it appears that the pedestrian was crossing the road wearing dark colors. Just like the driver and the witness said, they could not see the victim.”

Duncan Police Department Officer Julio Alvarez responded to the call on Thursday and Master Officer Jerrod Bishop will be continuing the investigation.

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