A Saturday of celebration changed in an instant to a Saturday of tragedy. Four people lost their lives in the tragic parade accident in Stillwater on October 24th. And forty-four suffered severe to minor injuries.
Two of those that died were long-time OSU employees. Dr. Marvin Stone was an Emeritus faculty in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and worked with the Oklahoma Mesonet in the early days on weather instrumentation. His wife Bonnie worked at OSU in Institutional Research and Information Management. Another adult who died was Nikita Nakal, an MBA student at the University of Central Oklahoma from Mumbai, India. The two-year old boy who died was Nash Lucas. His mother, Nicolette Strauch, was also hurt in the crash. She is a chemical engineering student at OSU.
Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis recorded a video that touches on the losses, grief, and recognition to those who provided critical help. It’s a video that speaks for so many OSU Cowboys, Stillwater citizens, and Oklahomans.
VIDEO LINK: http://www.ostate.tv/play/President-Hargis-Parade-Tragedy-Message
In the midst of this tragedy, many came forward to help and care for those injured. One of those was Taylor Collins. He is one of two OSU students that bring the OSU mascot Pistol Pete to life. It’s a story of how one person stepped up to help others to get them the medical attention they needed.
STORY LINK: http://newsok.com/article/5456442
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who were impacted, their families, friends, and our health community as they work through loss and healing.