Owasso Police Release Preliminary Report On 169 Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old

Katelyn Chambers died when the car her father, Brad, was driving was hit from behind on Highway 169 between 86th Street North and 76th Street North on May 23, 2014.

Wednesday, June 11th 2014, 5:57 pm

By: Tess Maune

Owasso Police Release Preliminary Report On 169 Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old

Owasso Police released a preliminary report that said a distracted driver caused a crash that killed a Green Country girl. 8-year-old Katelyn Chambers died in a four vehicle pile-up on Highway 169 near Owasso last month.

Almost three weeks later, one of the victims of that crash is still at a Tulsa hospital. He could be out by Friday, but he'll go home without his little girl who died in the crash.

Katelyn Chambers' mom said her daughter made life fun. A vibrant 8 year old that had dreams of, one day, visiting Paris to become a fashion designer. She was so stylish that Katelyn would sometimes pick out clothes for her mom.

She was smart, too, a grade and a half ahead, her mom said, and a research paper gave Katelyn a new-found passion for pandas.

Katelyn died when the car her father, Brad, was driving was hit from behind on Highway 169 between 86th Street North and 76th Street North on May 23, 2014, while riding to school.

A new report said the driver who caused the crash, 22-year-old Jack O'Donnell, told officers he looked down to change the music on his radio and when he looked up again, traffic in front of him had stopped.

According to the report, the 2008 Ford F250 pulling a trailer, driven by O'Donnell, ran into the back of the 2011 Honda Accord driven by Brad Chambers, the report says. The impact forced Brad's Honda into the back of a 2000 GMC pickup which then hit a 2008 BMW.

The drivers of the GMC and BMW refused treatment at the scene.

Shortly after the crash, Owasso Police said they believed distracted driving may have contributed to the wreck. Their preliminary report confirms that.

Katelyn died on the scene. Her five-year-old brother, Weston, had minor injuries but her dad was left with severe head trauma.

She was buried on May 29th. Her dad, still in hospital, didn't get to say goodbye to his little girl, who is now his little angel. Nevertheless, family members expect Brad to make a full recovery.

Owasso Police said they're waiting for toxicology reports and the final accident reconstruction before finalizing their report. They'll send it to the District Attorney who will decide what, if any, charges will be filed.

They also said anything that causes you to take your eyes off the road, electronic or otherwise, has the potential to cause a fatal accident; and this wreck is a tragic reminder.

Friends of the Chambers family have begun an effort to help pay for medical and funeral expenses. Donations can also be made at the Bank of Oklahoma under the name Katelyn Ruth Chambers.