Accident Takes Life of Geary Man

A Geary man was killed June 29 in a Pottawatomie County car crash.

According to the report from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Stephan Ely, 24, of Geary, was southbound on State Highway 102 north of McCloud about 8:30 a.m. when his Ford Explorer went left of center.

It struck a Ford pickup, driven northbound by Brian Gilliam, 58, of Wellston, on the driver’s side rear fender. Ely over-corrected, the report shows, and left the roadway to the right. The Explorer reentered the highway and flipped, entering the northbound lane. There it was struck by an oncoming GMC Yukon, driven by Patricia Hernandez, 36, of Oklahoma City.

Hernandez, the driver of the Yukon, was trapped in the collision and died at the scene, as did Ely.

His passenger, Mindy Miller, 47, of Luther, was transported to OU Medical Center where she was admitted in stable condition. The occupants of the pick

The occupants of the pickup truck, Brian Gilliam and his passenger, Peggy Gilliam, 48, also of Wellston, were not injured. The report indicates everyone in the accident was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.

OHP was assisted by the McCloud and Shawnee Fire departments, McCloud Police Department,

Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office and Kickapoo Tribal Police.

Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com