Published: July 07, 2008 09:57 am      

McAlester child dies in accident

No fatality accidents were reported in Pittsburg County over the long Fourth of July weekend which began on Friday, but a McAlester child died following an accident in Tulsa.

Andrew Marquez, 1-year-old, died following an accident on Saturday on the Creek Nation Turnpike in Tulsa, the Highway Patrol said.

The boy was a passenger in a sports utility vehicle driven by Itzel Rios, 22, of McAlester, the highway patrol said.

The highway patrol said the child died at the scene of the accident.

Rios and a passenger in the SUV, Luisanna Rios, 19, were taked to a Tulsa hospital where they were reported in stable condition, according to the highway patrol.

Two other passengers in the SUV, Quentin Marquez, 23, and Felipe Marquez III, 4, were not injured, the highway patrol said.

The accident occurred after the SUV went off a roadway and hit a drainage ditch, the highway patrol said. The SUV rolled twice and came to rest on its wheels, with the 1-year-old child being thrown about 10 feet from the SUV, according to the highway patrol.

Although there were no fatality accidents reported in Pittsburg County, law enforcement officers made a number of arrests for driving under the influence over the long holiday weekend which ended at midnight on Sunday.

Eight drivers were booked into the Pittsburg County Jail for driving under the influence during the July Fourth weekend.

Arrests were made by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Department.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.