Ex-lawmaker critically injured, wife killed in crash

Former state Rep. Mike Mass was critically injured Friday in a collision that claimed the life of his wife in Atoka County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

Mass, 67, of Hartshorne, was driving a car about 6:25 p.m. Friday on Fred's Fish Camp Road, when he tried to turn onto northbound U.S. 69 just north of Stringtown, the patrol reported. Suzanne Mass, 69, of Hartshorne, was a passenger in the car.

The car was struck by a southbound car driven by Joseph Campbell, 48, of Jacksonville, Texas.

Suzanne Mass was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just minutes after the collision, a second fatality accident happened nearby as the driver of a tractor-trailer tried to get around the scene of the first collision, troopers said.

The tractor-trailer driver was merging onto northbound U.S. 69 from Fred's Fish Camp Road and was struck by a car driven by Jacob Durkin, 22, troopers said. Durkin, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, died at the scene.

Mike Mass was taken to McAlester Regional Health Center in McAlester and later taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.

Campbell was taken to an Atoka hospital where he was treated for injuries.

The cause of the collision that killed Suzanne Mass remained under investigation Monday, the patrol reported. Mike and Suzanne Mass were not wearing seat belts. Campbell wore a seat belt, the patrol reported.

Mass is a former representative from Hartshorne and former chairman of the state Democratic Party. Mass was chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee from 2004-05.

Mass was sentenced to two years in federal prison in 2009 for taking kickbacks to divert taxpayer money to a gaming machine company and a dog food manufacturing company.