20-Year-Old Killed in Cherokee County Crash

Elijah Spottedhorse, 20, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Cherokee County early Sunday, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. (newsbreak.com) Troopers said the crash happened around 2:38 a.m. on West 720 Road near North Lost City Road. Spottedhorse was driving westbound when he lost control at what OHP described as an unsafe speed. (newsbreak.com) According to OHP, the vehicle ran a stop sign, left the roadway, struck a fence and then hit two trees before stopping at the second tree. No passengers were in the vehicle. (newsbreak.com) Medical personnel pronounced Spottedhorse dead after the crash, troopers said. The agency had not listed any other injured occupants because he was alone in the vehicle. (newsbreak.com) The wreck fits a pattern Oklahoma safety officials track separately in statewide crash reporting, including crashes tied to speed. The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office says its annual Crash Facts books break out speed-related crashes and fatalities as a distinct category. (oklahoma.gov 1) (oklahoma.gov 2) Those reports are used by law enforcement and transportation agencies to identify where fatal crashes are happening and what behaviors are involved. Speed, along with alcohol, distraction and seat belt use, is one of the recurring filters in the state’s crash dashboard. (oklahoma.gov 1) (oklahoma.gov 2) For Cherokee County, the immediate investigation is narrower: troopers have publicly identified the driver, the road, the time and the sequence of impacts. The cause remains under investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. (newsbreak.com)