Death Ride Along

Photograph taken for a newspaper owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Caption: "DEATH RIDE ALONG in these two cars Wednesday. The car at left field to make a curve at Newcastle road and Meridian. The driver, father of two children and a companion died instantly. Two passengers were injured. Four persons were killed and three injured, one critically, in a series of pre-Christmas accidents Wednesday in and near Oklahoma City. Dead are: LEROY C. LEVERICH, 26, of 1413 Oelke, father of two small children. HOMER CLEVE SMITH, 42, of 1041 SW 24, employed with Leverich at the Lee Way-Sooner Freight lines. Also in Mercy hospital are Murray J. Smith, 31, of 2815 S Central, brother of the other victim, and Marion E. Prichard, 27, of 1836 S High. Leverich and Smith were killed when their car, a 1953 Mercury, failed to negotiate a curve a half-mile southwest of the city near the Meridian boulevard and Newcastle road intersection. Trooper D.R. Stegner of the highway patrol was parked at the intersection waiting for traffic to clear and saw the fatal accident. Stegner said the sedan was driven by Leverich. The automobile skidded 120 feet, struck a bridge guard rail then skidded another 130 feet before overturning several times. Both Leverich and Smith were dead when the trooper reached them. Leverich had a crushed skull and the other victim a crushed chest, broken neck and crushed skull. Pair Tossed Clear, Leverich, father of two children, had worked at the trucking firm a number of years. The automobile he was driving belonged to Homer Cleve Smith. The other Smith brother and Prichard were thrown more than 50 feet clear of the tumbling automobile. Attendants at Mercy hospital said preliminary examination did not indicate Smith or Prichard were seriously injured. X-rays however are being developed to ascertain whether or not they suffered any broken bones.