State Lawmaker Files Lawsuit After His Son Was Crashed Into While Pulled Over.
The retired leader of the Oklahoma Senate is suing the state and Canadian County, claiming troopers delayed aid to his 16-year-old son after a truck slammed into the teen's car during a traffic stop.
Greg Treat claims troopers delayed checking on Mason Treat for about 10 minutes, even though the teen had severe head and internal injuries. The injuries initially left him unable to walk, communicate or care for himself.
The teen had been pulled over by a Canadian County deputy in January 2024 to investigate what the deputy thought was a missing tag. Before Mason could explain that the car was legally purchased and he hadn't yet purchased the new plate, the truck slammed into the back of his Dodge Charger at highway speeds.
At the time of the crash, Greg Treat was serving in his final term representing a district in Oklahoma County. He later secured legislation, dubbed the Mason Treat Act, that reduced the amount of time that the new owner of a car has to purchase a metal tag.
Mason Treat has since recovered, though the lawsuit filed in Oklahoma County notes he continues to suffer ongoing physical consequences and emotional trauma. The deputy, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, also suffered serious injuries and was later cleared to return to duty.
Treat's claim against the state, more specifically the Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Highway Patrol, was that troopers unreasonably delayed their response to his son's critical injuries and neglected established protocols designed to protect crash victims.
Treat's lawsuit claims an OHP trooper who was attending to the injured deputy said, "I don't care about them," allegedly referring to Mason Treat and the driver of the truck.
The lawsuit's claim against Canadian County was that the traffic stop was unnecessarily prolonged, which exposed Mason Treat to "unreasonable danger.
The suit also names the driver of the truck and his employer as defendants. Treat raised a negligence claim against Jose Tomas, the driver of the pickup truck that hit the car. It says he was fatigued or asleep, failed to properly follow traffic laws and did not exercise caution when passing a traffic stop.
Another negligence claim was made against Tomas' Alabama employer, Steel and Supply Company.
When reached for comment, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said the department does not comment on pending litigation. Neither the Canadian County Board of Commissioners nor Steel and Supply Company immediately responded to emails requesting comment. Contact information for Tomas could not be located.
None of the defendants have yet responded in court to the lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 25.
Greg Treat claims troopers delayed checking on Mason Treat for about 10 minutes, even though the teen had severe head and internal injuries. The injuries initially left him unable to walk, communicate or care for himself.
The teen had been pulled over by a Canadian County deputy in January 2024 to investigate what the deputy thought was a missing tag. Before Mason could explain that the car was legally purchased and he hadn't yet purchased the new plate, the truck slammed into the back of his Dodge Charger at highway speeds.
At the time of the crash, Greg Treat was serving in his final term representing a district in Oklahoma County. He later secured legislation, dubbed the Mason Treat Act, that reduced the amount of time that the new owner of a car has to purchase a metal tag.
Mason Treat has since recovered, though the lawsuit filed in Oklahoma County notes he continues to suffer ongoing physical consequences and emotional trauma. The deputy, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, also suffered serious injuries and was later cleared to return to duty.
Treat's claim against the state, more specifically the Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Highway Patrol, was that troopers unreasonably delayed their response to his son's critical injuries and neglected established protocols designed to protect crash victims.
Treat's lawsuit claims an OHP trooper who was attending to the injured deputy said, "I don't care about them," allegedly referring to Mason Treat and the driver of the truck.
The lawsuit's claim against Canadian County was that the traffic stop was unnecessarily prolonged, which exposed Mason Treat to "unreasonable danger.
The suit also names the driver of the truck and his employer as defendants. Treat raised a negligence claim against Jose Tomas, the driver of the pickup truck that hit the car. It says he was fatigued or asleep, failed to properly follow traffic laws and did not exercise caution when passing a traffic stop.
Another negligence claim was made against Tomas' Alabama employer, Steel and Supply Company.
When reached for comment, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said the department does not comment on pending litigation. Neither the Canadian County Board of Commissioners nor Steel and Supply Company immediately responded to emails requesting comment. Contact information for Tomas could not be located.
None of the defendants have yet responded in court to the lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 25.
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