Motorist arrested in hit-and-run death
Accidents claim two in state

From Staff Reports

Published: October 14, 2008

A Tulsa man died in a Sunday vehicle accident, and authorities were investigating a hit-and-run accident that killed a Bartlesville bicyclist on Friday.

Dead are:

• Rodney E. Jones, 51, Tulsa.

• Joseph Purrington, 21, of Bartlesville.

Jones died about 9:50 p.m. Sunday in Tulsa, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Jones was driving west on U.S. 64 when his car lost control while trying to exit onto northbound U.S. 75, troopers said.

The car flipped one-half time, landing on its top.

According to troopers, Jones was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Meanwhile, Purrington died on a Bartlesville street when his bicycle was hit by a car driven by William Burton Livingston, Police Chief Tom Holland said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Holland said. The car-bicycle collision occurred at the entrance to a restaurant.

Although Livingston’s vehicle was totaled in the crash, it was still drivable, which allowed Livingston to leave the scene, Holland said.

Several witnesses followed Livingston to his residence and blocked him until authorities arrived, he said.

Livingston was being held Monday on complaints of first-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Bail was set at $100,000, Holland said.