MOORE — A Moore man was among the drivers killed Dec. 11 in a six-car pileup in Norman.
As of Tuesday, police had not determined what factors contributed to the driver of a 2000 Yukon drifting across two lanes of traffic before colliding with a Kia Soul.
Army Spc. David Tompkins, 27, of Moore, driving the Yukon, was transported by EMSSTAT to Norman Regional Hospital, where he died. David Jester, 29, of Norman, driving the Kia, died at the scene, according to a news release from Norman Police Capt. Tom Easley.
After the crash, officers secured a search warrant to retrieve data from the vehicles black boxes, Easley said Tuesday.
The collision remains an open investigation under the direction of Master Police Officer S. Praizner and other members of the department’s Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Team.
Services for Tompkins were Friday at Trinity Baptist Church.
Services for Jester were Saturday at John M. Ireland Funeral Home chapel.
The six-car pileup Tuesday morning near Flood Avenue and Tecumseh Road left two dead, two more injured and blocked traffic for more than five hours.
Flood was closed to traffic from the intersection, north to the Interstate 35 merge ramp for more than five hours.
About 7 a.m. Tompkins was traveling south on Flood Avenue and reportedly crossed into the northbound lanes colliding with other vehicles, police said. Five additional vehicles were involved in the subsequent crash, police said.
David Lee Gibbs, 48, of Norman suffered injuries in the collision, as did Robert Thomas Lorrah, 38, who also is a Norman resident. Both were taken to the hospital and treated before being released Tuesday afternoon, Easley said.
Two other drivers also were involved but did not report any injuries. Those drivers are Brian Scott McDonald, 21, of Alex and Nicholas Heath Taylor, 31, of Norman.
Easley said Wednesday that a representative of the Office of the State Medical Examiner transported Jester’s body to their facility in Oklahoma City.
“They told me they took the body so that they could identify my son,” Jester’s mother, Rita, said.
Easley said Tuesday that no children were involved in the accident. He said Wednesday that there was no information available on the use of seat belts or regarding factors that could have contributed to the accident such as fog, wet pavement or the use of electronic devices.
“I don’t have any of that,” Easley said. “That’s why we investigate these things.”
