Update--The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports Colby Finch, 18, died at 2:40 p.m. on Friday at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. He and his four relatives died when a semi collided with their horse buggy Wednesday night in Quinton, OK. Finch had been the only surviver on the buggy.
QUINTON, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says four people — including two children — were killed and a fifth person critically injured when the horse-drawn wagon they were riding in was hit by a tractor-trailer rig in southeast Oklahoma.
Troopers say 38-year-old Paul Ogden, his 5-year-old daughter Mackennon Ogden, Paul's 28-year-old brother, Lee Ogden, and Paul and Lee's niece, 4-year-old Emma Ogden, died about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday in the accident on State Highway 31 near Quinton in Pittsburg County. Paul Ogden's 18-year-old nephew, Colby Finch, is hospitalized in critical condition.
Investigators say the five were eastbound in the middle of the roadway when the wagon was hit from behind by the semi. All five victims and both mules pulling the wagon were thrown at least 50 feet.
The accident happened less than a quarter of a mile from the Ogden's home."As soon as something happened, basically the entire family was here," Paul and Lee's cousin, Blake Lynch, said. So, it was kind of tough for everybody to be this close and have to experience that right up front."
Paul and Lee had built the buggy themselves. Driving it around was a family hobby. The Ogdens even drove the wagon in the Christmas parade. And it wasn't the first time they had driven it on the highway on which they were killed.
"They're always up and down this road," Lynch said. "You know, last night it's after dark, you think they probably shouldn't have it on the road, but they've done it a hundred times and it's never been a problem before. It's just the one time it's a problem, it's a deadly problem."
"Paul was a very good man," Quinton resident Mindy Bumpers said. "He would do anything for anybody. He was the principal, and he was there for the kids. He was a good man."
"He always had a smile on no matter what," Quinton High School student Hailey Spears said. "If anybody needed to talk to him, or talk to someone, Mr. Ogden was the person to go to."
But less than a quarter of a mile from home, Paul, Lee, Emma and Mackennon Ogden lost their lives.
"It's a kind of grief that I think everybody just got struck by all at once," Lynch said. "I mean, you're up there, and it's kind of surreal. You see these bodies there, and they look like they're taking a nap. I mean, honestly, they didn't look like they were in pain, they just looked like they had stopped. And then it hits that they've stopped for good."
Lee Ogden and his wife just had a baby three days ago. The family had just come home from the hospital.
Emergency responders at the scene say both mules pulling the wagon were thrown a great distance, and both were killed.
No word yet on whether the driver of the semi truck will face any charges, although it appears unlikely.
A funeral service has been scheduled for 10am Saturday in the gym at Quinton Elementary School.
A memorial fund has been set up at Farmers State Bank in Quinton to help cover funeral arrangements. If you'd like to donate, call 918-469-3337.
