OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Investigators are seeking public assistance in the investigation of a tragic collision on I-35 that resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper.
Shortly before 12 p.m. on April 8, emergency responders were dispatched to northbound I-35, between Britton Rd. and Hefner Rd. in Oklahoma City. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), initial findings suggest debris fell from a vehicle traveling southbound, prompting a 36-year-old driver, identified as Mercedes Bayne, to swerve across the cable barrier into oncoming traffic.
The small SUV collided with Trooper Vernon Brake, resulting in fatal injuries for all three: Brake, Bayne, and a four-year-old child.
Authorities are urging anyone who was driving north or south on I-35 near Hefner Rd. between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on April 8 with dash camera footage to contact OHP at (405) 425-2323.
Trooper Brake's funeral services are set for 11 a.m. on April 14 at Crossings Community Church. Public visitation will take place from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 13 at Baggerly Funeral Home in Edmond. Brake, a member of the 56th OHP Academy graduating class in 2006, served nearly 20 years with OHP and is survived by his wife and two children.