Sapulpa Woman Hit, Killed By Truck On Daughter's Birthday

A Sapulpa family is mourning on a day when most would celebrate, as a woman was hit and killed by a truck on her daughter's 18th birthday.

Mary Rice was hit by a truck Friday while crossing a busy street right outside a driver's license office; she was taking her daughter to get a license.

Many people said the place where it happened on 21st Street is dangerous, and traffic flies down the road, commonly, by people who work in the area.

9/5/2014 Related Story: OHP Identifies Woman Killed By Truck In West Tulsa

Friday morning at 6:30, just before daylight, Mary tried to get across 21st Street to go into the driver's license office when she was hit by a truck.

“It's hard to understand why things like this happen to such good people,” said Mary's father, Tom Roudenbush.

Mary was part of a News On 6 story in July about water quality.

7/23/2014 Related Story: 6 Investigates: Creek County Water Contamination Issues Ongoing For Years

Her family describes her as always trying to help.

She was killed trying to cross a busy stretch of 21st street, right in front of the West Tulsa Driver's License Bureau.

People who work nearby said it's common to see people run across.

Les Rampy: I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner than this,” said Les Rampy, who pulled up right after the accident. “We have people parking all up and down this side of the street, running through traffic trying to be first in line.”

They're rushing across a street with a 50 mile an hour speed limit, and Berryhill Fire Chief, Michael Hall thinks that needs to change.

"At this point, with a fatality, we have to go back in and examine the benefit of a 50 mile an hour zone, when this isn't the first fatality on that road this year, it's just the first one in that area,” Hall said.

The speed limit is one thing; the actual speed is something else.

"I know they don't drive 50. I don't have a radar gun, but I know they're not driving 50,” Rampy said.

The factors around the accident are under investigation, but the driver of the truck wasn't ticketed, and told authorities he just didn't see her step out in front of him.

Mary's family hasn't begun to process what happened.

"Anytime with Mary was a good time,” her father said.

The fire chief said he's asking the county commissioners to lower the speed limit.

It would be a relief to some people who work in the area who describe the road as a racetrack, while there's a crowd trying to get in early to get a driver's license.