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4 dead after car crashes into Oklahoma State homecoming parade

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

A car crashed into the Oklahoma State homecoming parade Saturday "at a high rate of speed," killing four people and injuring nearly three dozen others.

Stillwater police said Saturday afternoon that 34 people were injured, including eight critically. The accident happened when a woman, identified as 25-year-old Adacia Chambers, drove her car into a crowd near the end of the parade route. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Police said Saturday afternoon that three people were killed. A fourth fatality, a 2-year-old, was confirmed Saturday evening by the University of Oklahoma Medical Center.

From the Tulsa World:

A vehicle collided into parade attendees near the intersection of East Hall of Fame Avenue and North Main Street, according to multiple witnesses. The intersection is near the end of the parade route where a large concentration of people were watching the parade.

From the World, continued:

Geoff Haxton, who was about 100 yards away from the incident, said a 4-door vehicle not affiliated with the parade crashed into the crowd. Other witnesses told him the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.

The accident happened at approximately 10:30 a.m. CT in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State's game against Kansas kicked off as scheduled at 2:30 p.m. as the school's president told reporters that "We're going to play and we're going to remember the victims."

The car, according to police captain Kyle Gibbs, first struck a police motorcycle that was unoccupied and then into the crowd watching the parade.

There was a pregame moment of silence and the flags at T. Boone Pickens Stadium were lowered to half-staff.

"I think it is important for Oklahomans to be able to support each other, especially when our hearts are broken and we're hurting," Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said via the Oklahoman. "This is one of the ways we can be together and support each other during that time."

Fallin is a graduate of Oklahoma State and was in attendance at the game. The Cowboys beat the Jayhawks 58-10 to move to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Big 12.

It's the third sports-related tragedy to involve Oklahoma State in less than 15 years. In 2001, 10 people involved with the Oklahoma State men's basketball team were killed in a plane crash. In 2011, a plane crash killed four people, including two Oklahoma State women's basketball coaches.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!