By Cass Rains Staff Writer
February 25, 2006 12:53 am
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Authorities are shifting through more than 300 pages of information regarding a fatal January motorcycle accident before deciding their next move.
Enid Police Department officials forwarded their investigation to the Garfield County District Attorney’s Office last week.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Fields said no charges had been filed concerning the wreck.
“The investigative reports are numerous,” he said, “and our office is still in the process of reviewing the reports and the law to determine what, if any, criminal charges will be filed.”
The driver of the motorcycle, Jeremy Birchfield, 26, made a 911 call to police minutes before the accident Jan. 23, saying he was being chased by two other men on motorcycles.
During the call, Birchfield told the 911 operator he needed an officer because he was being chased. He told the dispatcher he was traveling southbound on Cleveland, near Vance Air Force Base.
Wind and road noises interfered during much of the call, but a police dispatcher is heard asking Birchfield if he can drive toward the Enid Police Department. Shortly after, Birchfield’s phone cut off and the call ended.
Birchfield and his passenger, Jennifer L. Frazier, 19, were injured after Birchfield’s motorcycle, traveling at a high rate of speed, ran a red light at Garriott and Johnson and hit a car traveling north on Johnson, according to an EPD accident report. Frazier died Jan. 25 of her injuries.
At the time of the accident, Birchfield and Frazier were eastbound on Garriott, according to the report. Birchfield was thrown about 21 feet from the point of collision. Frazier was thrown about 51 feet, according to the report. Neither Birchfield nor Frazier was wearing a helmet.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck, Shawna Marie Hunt, 25, left the scene of the accident shortly after the collision.
EPD Capt. Jim Nivison said the station received 911 calls reporting the crash about four minutes after Birchfield’s call ended.
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Photos
Jeremy Birchfield’s motorcycle lays on the side of the road while one of the riders is attended to by emergency personnel on the corner of Johnson and Garriott in this file photo from Jan. 23. Birchfield collided with a Pontiac after running a red light, killing his passenger Jennifer Frazier, 19. (Staff Photo by KYLE NOSAL)