Man ends up in roadway during high-speed crash, walks away

A Crawford County man was ejected from his car into the middle of the roadway after colliding with a truck at a high rate of speed Saturday morning.

According to authorities, Crawford County deputies responded to the intersection of State Road 66 and Old Union Church Road at about 11:09 a.m. CDT for the report of the collision. Estelle Sommerlotte, of Taswell, told dispatchers that he had been involved in a crash and the driver of the other vehicle had been ejected from the car and was in the roadway. When first responders from Leavenworth Volunteer Fire Department arrived, they found the ejected driver identified as Ethan Mercer, 28, of Sulfur, sitting in a friend’s car at the scene.

From interviews with the witnesses to the crash, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department determined that before the crash, Jeffery Davis Jr., 30, of Sulfur and Ethan Mercer, 28, of Sulfur, were both seen driving on Old Union Church Road at a high rate of speed. Davis told deputies that he ran the stop sign at the intersection with State Road 66 and saw Sommerlotte’s oncoming truck.

Davis told deputies that he ran the stop sign at the intersection with State Road 66 and saw Sommerlotte’s eastbound 2008 Chevrolet truck pulling a trailer loaded with a skid steer. Davis said he watched as Mercer was unable to stop in time to avoid colliding with Sommerlotte’s 19 truck. Mercer left 81-foot solid skid marks into the intersection as he attempted to stop but still collided with the truck.

The collision sheered Mercer’s driver’s side door off of the vehicle and Mercer was ejected from the car.

The car came to rest off the east side of State Road 66 while the collision left the engine block and debris from the car across the intersection.

Davis told police when he returned to the scene he found Mercer sitting in the roadway bleeding and moaning. Mercer then got up and walked off the roadway, according to Davis.

Crawford County Emergency Management Services assessed Mercer and he was released upon his own request, police said.

Somerlotte and his passenger were uninjured however both the truck and trailer were a total loss.

Deputies determined Mercer was driving on a suspended license and the car was uninsured.

The English Volunteer Fire Department responded and assisted with first aid, fire protection and scene safety. Small Brothers Towing and TNT Automotive cleared the vehicles and debris.

The crash is being investigated by the Craword County Sheriff’s Department.