COMANCHE COUNTY, Okla. – Many people in Comanche County are mourning the loss of their doctor after a freak accident cut her life short.
Around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol were called to the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in Newcastle.
Investigators say 49-year-old Michael Morris was driving a 1997 Ford flatbed truck eastbound on the turnpike when he attempted to make a U-turn and was hit by a BMW also headed eastbound.
After the impact, authorities say a large metal box was thrown from the truck into the westbound lanes of I-44, hitting a Lexus driven by 31-year-old Analyssa Orjuela. Orjuela died at the scene from injuries she sustained in the crash.
“It seems like a freak accident,” said Sara Low, a patient. “The accident wasn’t even on her side of the road.”
Orjuela worked as an OBGYN at Comanche County Memorial Hospital for the past two years. Friends say she made the commute on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike from Oklahoma City to the hospital every day.
“You never think it would happen to someone you’ve met, then you never think it would happen to someone who has kind of touched your life,” said Sara Low, a patient.
“She’s the one that basically saved me from this life of pain. Anytime I saw her, she just made you feel at home. She made it feel like you were family,” Angie Christensen, another patient, said.
“She was very young, very kind, very knowledgeable, loved her patients, loved her jobs. But she’s definitely missed,” Christensen added.
The administration at Comanche County Memorial Hospital released the following statement regarding Dr. Orjuela’s death:
“It is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of one of our CCMH physicians. Dr. Analyssa Orjuela unexpectedly passed away yesterday morning as a result of a multiple-vehicle accident. Dr. Orjuela was fondly known to many as ‘Dr. O.’ She has been a valued member of our team for the past two years with our MMG Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic and will be deeply missed. We know she meant a great deal to many of her patients. Kindness and compassion were always shown in her practice, and it was obvious that she truly loved her profession. Her current patients will still be taken care of by her colleagues at the OB/GYN clinic. She made a wonderful and positive impact on our staff, patients and the community. On behalf of CCMH Administration, our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and colleagues. Please keep Dr. Orjuela’s loved ones in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time.”