By Anna Codutti
Tulsa World, Okla.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — A state trooper was killed while on duty Wednesday morning in a crash that also claimed the lives of another driver and a child who was a passenger in the other vehicle.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a vehicle that was traveling south on Interstate 35 just before 11:30 a.m. April 8 lost control and crossed the center cable barrier. The vehicle struck Trooper Vernon Brake’s vehicle as he was northbound on I-35 just south of Hefner Road in Oklahoma City.
Brake was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, along with the other driver, 36-year-old Mercedes Bayne , and a 4-year-old passenger in her vehicle.
Investigators with OHP’s Traffic Homicide Unit are asking for the public’s help in identifying a truck of interest in the fatal crash.
Investigators believe Bayne was forced to take evasive action to avoid either debris or equipment or vehicles that had stopped ahead of her. The agency on its Facebook page shared a photo of a truck that stopped on I-35 near the crash scene. Investigators believe it could have lost part of its load or stopped to assist in clearing the debris.
Anyone with information on the truck or who saw anything that could be helpful to investigators is asked to call the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Communications Center at 405-425-2323.
Brake graduated the OHP Academy in 2006, working primarily with commercial motor vehicle enforcement with Troop S.
“Brake is survived by his wife and two children. Our prayers and deepest sympathies are with his family as well as the family of the other driver involved,” a statement posted to OHP social media read.
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