Dec. 08--A 6-year-old Tulsa boy has died after falling through ice on Joe Creek on Saturday.
The boy, his 12-year-old brother and two men were treated for hypothermia after the children fell into Joe Creek and the adults attempted to rescue them, responders said.
The 6-year-old, who was trapped for nearly 30 minutes, was transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital in critical condition, an EMSA supervisor said. His brother and one of the men were taken to the hospital in good condition.
The boys had been playing on a layer of ice that was about an inch thick behind the Foxfire Apartments, 7324 S. Wheeling Ave., when the ice broke and they fell into the water just before 2 p.m., responders said.
The 12-year-old boy was able to pull himself out of the creek before responders arrived and the men were in the water attempting to find the younger boy when emergency crews arrived at the scene, said District Chief Dale Cooley.
Six firefighters wearing specialized gear then entered the creek and found the boy, who was rescued about 30 minutes after falling in, Cooley said.
"In this part of the country we need to let people know that we just don't have the type of temperatures that make it safe for people to be on the ice. It's just not safe in Oklahoma," he said.
Joe Creek meets the Arkansas River near 81st Street. The creek stretches northeast for several miles toward Interstate 44.
Severe weather has contributed to more than 200 injuries, since Thursday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Saturday afternoon.
Elsewhere in Tulsa, EMSA medics were dispatched to 18 injuries due to weather-related falls on Saturday.
EMSA spokeswoman Kelli Bruer advised that the risk of a fall diminishes with the use of sturdy, rubber-soled shoes or boots or shoe cleats.
Stairs are especially susceptible to freezing, so people should watch their step, she said, and melting snow or ice on indoor surfaces can also create hazards, so those areas should be kept dry if possible.
When venturing outside -- even for a short while -- people should dress warmly and take along a charged cellphone in case of a fall, Bruer added.
EMSA also responded to five weather-related traffic accidents, three of which occurred between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., on Saturday. Medics were called to 17 such accidents Friday.
Since the storm began Thursday, Highway Patrol troopers across the state have been called to 53 injury accidents, including one fatality, due to the weather.
Charles Spence, age 5, of Fort Gibson, died in a rollover accident on an icy Muskogee bridge Thursday morning.
The OHP has responded to 216 weather-related wrecks in total.
Meteorologists expect a high of 32 degrees Sunday with cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. Monday's high drops to 27 degrees and the National Weather Service forecasts a 20 percent chance of snow Monday night.
Highs increase to 33 degrees on Tuesday and 38 degrees on Wednesday when mostly sunny to sunny skies are expected.
Power crews work to restore electricity
More than 7,600 customers were still without power throughout the state, according to the Department of Emergency Management.
Most of the outages were concentrated in southeastern Oklahoma near Hugo, where the American Red Cross opened one of three shelters in the area. Warming centers were opened in Antlers, Durant and Poteau.
AEP-PSO released a statement Saturday afternoon stating "the majority of the damage has been caused by trees from outside PSO's rights-of-way falling into the power lines and snapping utility poles. There are numerous broken poles, broken cross-arms, and downed power lines across the (Hugo-Antlers) area."
AEP-PSO estimates customers in Antlers, Hugo and Grant will have power restored by noon Sunday and that customers in Bos well, Soper and the rural areas west and south of Antlers could be restored by noon Monday.
Amanda Bland 918-581-8413
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