TULSA, Okla. — An ORU student-athlete died overnight in a crash caused by a suspected drunk driver, Tulsa police say.
ORU released a statement on social media on Thursday mourning the loss of grad student and soccer player Eugene Quaynor.
"He was a captain and had a spirit-empowered heart ready to impact the world for Jesus," the tweet said. "His infectious smile will be missed, but we will never forget."
We mourn the loss of @ORUMSoccer student-athlete, Eugene Quaynor. Eugene was the epitome of the mission we strive for. He was a captain and had a spirit-empowered heart ready to impact the world for Jesus. His infectious smile will be missed, but we will never forget #27. pic.twitter.com/peL9daBkoB
— ORU Athletics (@ORUAthletics) September 29, 2022
The crash happened near 71st and Yale around 11 p.m. Wednesday. First responders got to the scene and found a car fully engulfed in flames.
Officers say the victim was stopped at the stop light when another driver rear-ended them with their van. They say the van was traveling at a "very high speed" which caused the victim's car to run into a retaining wall at the intersection and burst into flames on impact.
The driver of the van was suspected to be drunk during the crash and taken to the hospital after police say paramedics had to hold him at the scene until officers arrived. TPD is recommending charges be brought against him.
Quaynor transferred to ORU from the University of Ghana. ORU's bio for him says he majored in sports management and chose ORU because it is a Christian school and wanted to "grow in sports in a Christ-like way."
“He’s a kid who loves the Lord," said ORU Athletic Director Tim Johnson. "He’s a phenomenal role model for our team. He’s a captain on the team. He touched everybody on campus. Everybody today has been talking about his smile. He’s a kid who just smiled all the time.”
ORU is postponing its soccer match scheduled for Saturday.
https://t.co/3ArnbTdrnI pic.twitter.com/DUolcWfJDe
— The Summit League (@thesummitleague) September 29, 2022
“The best way we can honor him is really understand what Eugene stood for," Johnson said. "He was a young man who was mature beyond his years."
This is a developing situation. We'll continue to update as we learn more.
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