GLENPOOL, Okla. — A McAlester police officer is in the hospital after a truck crashed into his vehicle during a funeral procession going down Highway 75 at 151st in Glenpool.
The crash happened around 6:30 Friday night. Saturday morning Glenpool Police identified the officer as 25-year-old Joseph Lee Barlow. The department said he is still in critical condition after undergoing multiple surgeries to try to save his life.
The McAlester Police Department asked the community to keep officer Barlow in your thoughts.
“Definitely need to be praying. It's a difficult week for the McAlester Police Department for sure. Everybody needs to pray for them,” said Trooper Aaron Kern.
According to the Glenpool Police Department, around 6:30 p.m. Friday the Glenpool Police Department was notified of a head-on collision on Highway 75 just north of 151st St. south.
Police say a black Ford F250 pickup driven by one adult male with one adult male passenger were headed northbound on 75 while a funeral procession for a police captain with the McAlester Police Department was headed southbound on 75.
Police say the pickup truck driver identified as Martin Rodriguez Rivas failed to stop for the procession and then took evasive action to avoid colliding with stopped traffic in front of his vehicle. During the evasive action, he crossed the center median, went through the guard rail and hit a McAlester police officer’s vehicle in the funeral procession head on.
The officer had to be extracted from the wreckage of his vehicle, and was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The pick up truck driver and passenger refused medical treatment.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol now pleading with drivers to pay attention to traffic.
“It’s a very dangerous stretch of Highway 75 through here. Glenpool police works a lot of crashes through here. Mostly people speeding and not paying attention," said Trooper Aaron Kern. "You need to be looking ahead of you. If there's red and blue lights, if you see brake lights, start slowing down.”
Rivas is booked into jail on complaints of driving without a valid license and driving illegally while causing great bodily harm. Additional complaints may be added pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, according to Glenpool police.
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