‘How are you still alive?’: Bystander hit in deadly police chase says he’s been ‘forgotten’
By Chantelle Navarro
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A bystander is still recovering weeks after he was caught in the middle of a police chase that turned into a deadly shooting in Oklahoma City.
“It just seems like no one wants to help me. Like no one wants to. I’m basically forgotten,” said Denny MedicineBird, the bystander injured in the chase.
He was the person in between the commotion near Interstate 44 and Southwest 59th Street on Friday, March 27. He was minding his own business when he suddenly saw police lights.
“I was just sitting there thinking, ‘Oh, there’s probably a wreck up ahead or something in the ditch,'” MedicineBird said.
But he was wrong. A few moments later, he saw more police.
“That’s when I saw the truck,” MedicineBird said.
Investigators said 72-year-old Sandra Strampher-Perry was behind the wheel, and all of those police officers were behind her, trying to get her stopped.
“My first instinct was, ‘Holy crap, I better get out of the way.’ So, I moved to the right, and she wasn’t stopping,” MedicineBird said.
Then, the lights got closer.
“I was screaming, ‘No, no, no!'” MedicineBird said.
Then, police said Strampher-Perry slammed into him.
“I’ve never felt so helpless, and I guess, on the impact, I remember my eyes shutting. (I) kind of didn’t know where I was for a second,” MedicineBird said.
Strampher-Perry was on the run from police after showing up armed at someone’s home in a Deer Creek neighborhood. She took off, leading law enforcement on the chase that ended in southwest Oklahoma City.
MedicineBird said gunshots came quickly after the crash.
“The cops were basically using my front vehicle as a shield,” MedicineBird said. “Somehow I kicked the door open and fell through the airbags and fell to the ground, and they were still shooting what seemed like a long time, but I’m sure it was just seconds. But I fell to the ground, and one of the officers at the back of my vehicle.”
He said even officers were surprised he made it out alive.
“I don’t remember who they were, who he was. I just remember him saying, ‘Dude, how are you still alive?’ And I said, ‘I have no idea,'” MedicineBird said. “‘OK, well we’re glad you’re still alive.'”
He was in the hospital all night.
“My artery and my neck is damaged. Lots of pain. Still tingling in my feet, my hands. Had to walk really slow because it hurts to walk,” MedicineBird said. “I’m grateful that I have a really close relationship with our creator because without him, I wouldn’t be here. I pray every day.”
Even though he is alive, he is left with a harsh reality moving forward. Mentally, he is struggling because he is a veteran with PTSD, and he is also facing financial setbacks.
“In this case, the woman passed away, so her estate would be responsible ultimately. But there would presumably be no insurance coverage available for this bystander because the woman was engaged in an intentional criminal act at the time,” personal injury attorney Jason Waddell said.
Most insurance companies in Oklahoma have what is called “Criminal Acts Exclusion,” meaning they aren’t responsible for paying people like MedicineBird.
“You would have to prove that the officer or the City of Oklahoma City Police Department actually did something wrong, which caused the damages to the bystander and allowing us all to continue fighting,” Waddell said.
If MedicineBird’s attorney did that, he could get a payout of $75,000 for property expenses and $375,000 for medical expenses. But that is the cap.
Again, he could only receive that money if he could prove law enforcement was somehow in the wrong.
“As lawyers that do this type of work, personal injury work, we come across many instances on a repetitive basis where we have to give people very terrible news that there either isn’t insurance available to cover them for their losses or the person that hit them (has) a small minimum policy that will not fully compensate them for the injuries,” Waddell said.
If officers aren’t found at fault, it’s all on MedicineBird.
“My life will be impacted until I die,” MedicineBird said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help MedicineBird with his expenses.
KOCO has also requested body camera and 911 calls to learn more about what happened that day, but those won’t be released until the investigation is closed.
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