No, only observation speculating. I don't think there has been anything additional on Aubrey's case and have seen very few details on this latest crash.

Would not be surprised to see a guardrail or sand barrels be placed here soon.

No, only observation speculating. I don't think there has been anything additional on Aubrey's case and have seen very few details on this latest crash.

Would not be surprised to see a guardrail or sand barrels be placed here soon.

Anonymous,
Have you ever been there? I lived there for forty years and drove on that road many times. There is no need for a guardrail or sand barrels. It is a straight road, fifty mph limit and plenty wide. If we spent the money to put guard rails or sand barrels on every road like this one, our state would go broke.
C. T.

Anonymous,
Have you ever been there? I lived there for forty years and drove on that road many times. There is no need for a guardrail or sand barrels. It is a straight road, fifty mph limit and plenty wide. If we spent the money to put guard rails or sand barrels on every road like this one, our state would go broke.
C. T.

While it may not be a particularly dangerous location, roads are supposed to be designed with a "clear zone" on either side of the road with no obstacles within them other than those that are "crashworthy" (i.e. either have something to protect them like guardrails or are designed to collapse upon impact, like sign posts do). Things happen, sometimes people have to swerve to avoid things in the road or track too far to one side and lose control, so the clear zone is required to allow a road a certain amount of "forgiveness" for that, and to allow people adequate time to come to a safe stop before hitting something if they leave the roadway.

The supports of the bridge in question are right up against the travel lanes of Midwest Blvd. The bridge was probably built with the Turner Turnpike in the mid-1950s, before there were standards like these (and the turnpike system has a lot of really poorly-designed bridges by that bar), but the bridge doesn't meet modern standards. What an appropriate clear zone is depends on a lot of variables (including traffic count and design speed), but from what I can dig up online, for a road like Midwest Blvd. the clear zone should be at least 7 to 10 feet from both edges of the pavement. Whether or not it's actually necessary to fix can be argued, but it's fairly clear that it's against federal safety policy the way it is now.

I'm not sure if the responsible agency would be OKC (which maintains Midwest Blvd.) or OTA (which maintains I-44) in this case.

I'm not sure if the responsible agency would be OKC (which maintains Midwest Blvd.) or OTA (which maintains I-44) in this case.

Scott,
Thanks for the information. You know the rules, and I can only speak as a long time resident of the area, so I didn't really see the whole picture. In my opinion, the bridge is for Turner Turnpike traffic, so I would think the OTA would be responsible, but I'm sure there are rules/regulations that cover things like the bridge and/or the "clear zone". I wonder how many wrecks it takes for the proper authority to do something?
C. T.

If we spent the money to put guard rails or sand barrels on every road like this one, our state would go broke.
C. T.

Ummmmm, too late.

If there's anything that is costing this state too much money, it's probably not sand barrels.

OKLAHOMA CITY—When Aubrey McClendon drove his Chevy Tahoe into a bridge on March 2, a day after he was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly rigging the price of oil and gas leases, many observers concluded that the shale-energy pioneer had killed himself.

But a two-month investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department has found nothing to suggest Mr. McClendon committed suicide.

“We were unable to find any evidence or information that would lead us to believe it was anything other than a vehicular accident,” said Oklahoma City Police spokesman Capt. Paco Balderrama.

The conclusions of the probe, which haven’t been previously made public, don’t rule out suicide, or describe the manner of Mr. McClendon’s death, and thus are unlikely to end the intrigue about the final hours of one of America’s most charismatic and controversial modern business figures.

But investigators, who included crime detectives as well as accident experts, didn’t uncover anything in interviews with Mr. McClendon’s friends and associates—or in the fiery wreckage of the crash itself—to lead them to believe he was seeking to end his life.

“We may never know one-hundred percent what happened,” Capt. Balderrama said.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/police-probe-finds-nothing-to-suggest-aubrey-mcclendon-committed-suicide-1465333448

Here is the full article.

Some observations:


It had not been previously reported that he had a breakfast meeting at Pops near where the wreck occurred; so, he had a reason to be heading that direction.
Also new is the revelation that he was at AEP before heading that way. Everyone had assumed he left directly from home to head north.
Interviews with friends and acquaintances are the absolute worst source for info in a situation like this. Anyone who knew him well is going to be biased into thinking "he'd never do something like that". Look at any case where someone has done something similar and virtually everyone will say the exact same things, even when faced with absolutely conclusive evidence.
The way the local police have played this is very bizarre. Why do they keep coming out in the press with 1) the obvious implication he had killed himself right after the wreck; and now 2) interviews with people who knew him saying they didn't think it was suicide? I suspect #2 was a least partially to cover their tails for being pretty unprofessional regarding #1.


********

Police Probe Finds Nothing to Suggest Aubrey McClendon Committed Suicide
By KEVIN HELLIKER, ERIN AILWORTH and RYAN DEZEMBER
June 7, 2016 5:04 p.m. ET

OKLAHOMA CITY—When Aubrey McClendon drove his Chevy Tahoe into a bridge on March 2, a day after he was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly rigging the price of oil and gas leases, many observers concluded that the shale-energy pioneer had killed himself.

But a two-month investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department has found nothing to suggest Mr. McClendon committed suicide.

“We were unable to find any evidence or information that would lead us to believe it was anything other than a vehicular accident,” said Oklahoma City Police spokesman Capt. Paco Balderrama.

The conclusions of the probe, which haven’t been previously made public, don’t rule out suicide, or describe the manner of Mr. McClendon’s death, and thus are unlikely to end the intrigue about the final hours of one of America’s most charismatic and controversial modern business figures.

On March 2, Aubrey McClendon left American Energy Partners LP to meet someone for breakfast at Pops, a gas station that he had transformed into a food-and-fuel emporium.

But investigators, who included crime detectives as well as accident experts, didn’t uncover anything in interviews with Mr. McClendon’s friends and associates—or in the fiery wreckage of the crash itself—to lead them to believe he was seeking to end his life.

“We may never know one-hundred percent what happened,” Capt. Balderrama said.

It is unclear what, if any, impact the police probe will have in the probate case just starting to unfold in an Oklahoma City court. Creditors with claims totaling hundreds of millions of dollars have appeared in that case, although few details about Mr. McClendon’s estate have been made public.

Through a spokesman, the McClendon family declined to comment.

The medical examiner’s office in Oklahoma City, which earlier determined that Mr. McClendon died of multiple blunt force trauma, is set to release a final report on Mr. McClendon’s death soon, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. She declined to provide further details. Police earlier had said their investigation would be turned over to the medical examiner for inclusion in its final report.

As the co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corp., Mr. McClendon, a 56-year- old wildcatter, helped launch a renaissance in U.S. energy production by leasing land around the country to extract oil and gas trapped in shale rock formations through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

His aggressive approach made him a multibillionaire at one point. But his appetite for financial risk also caused him trouble, eventually leading Carl Icahn and other activist investors to oust him from Chesapeake in 2013.

Financial problems also forced him to use some of his remaining wealth—including his minority stake in the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team—as collateral, as he was pursuing a second act in oil and gas when prices plunged.

Because of the setbacks Mr. McClendon had suffered, and because of his prominence as a civic leader and co-founder of Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake, police devoted substantial resources to the investigation of his death, Capt. Balderrama said.

Two accident investigators and four homicide detectives interviewed witnesses as well as colleagues and family members who saw McClendon during his last days.

They scoured emails and looked for other evidence possibly indicating suicidal plans. They found none.

Police previously disclosed in March that Mr. McClendon was driving as fast as 89 miles an hour in the moments before the crash, and was still at 78 mph when he struck the concrete underpass around 9:12 a.m. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt, according to the crash report.

Witnesses who called 911 said the vehicle, configured to run on natural gas, erupted in flames following the accident as he remained inside.

Mr. McClendon had to be cut out of the wreckage, and his dental records were used to officially identify him as the victim, police said.

Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty said at the time that data recovered from the vehicle’s black box showed that Mr. McClendon had tapped his brakes but never tried to fully stop before impact.

In interviews with The Wall Street Journal, some of Mr. McClendon’s friends said they saw no signs of trouble before he died, and suspect he lost control of his vehicle at what police described as a treacherous spot. (Another driver fatally crashed at that exact spot last month, Oklahoma City police said.) Mr. McClendon’s friends said he was known for driving fast, often failed to wear a seat belt, and took pride in his ability to drive while talking or occasionally composing text messages or emails.

He was also known for pushing himself to exhaustion. “My belief is that he fell asleep behind the wheel,” says Rand Elliott, an Oklahoma City architect who designed dozens of projects for Mr. McClendon, including Chesapeake’s college-style corporate campus.

While Mr. McClendon received no advance warning before he was indicted, he had long known it might be coming. He enlisted high-profile defense lawyers, including two involved in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, to handle his case, and was confident he would prevail, according to a person familiar with the matter.

After he was indicted late on March 1, Mr. McClendon, who publicly professed his innocence, skipped a business dinner with former Mexico President Vicente Fox and met with his legal team, hashing out media and defense strategies, the person said.

Early the next day, he drove to American Energy Partners LP, the firm he founded to launch his comeback after being ousted from Chesapeake, and held another meeting on how to combat the charges, according to another person familiar with the matter.

Later that morning, Mr. McClendon was scheduled to meet someone for breakfast at Pops, a gas station that he had purchased and transformed into a food-and-fuel emporium. He was driving in the direction of the restaurant when he crashed. When he failed to show, the person he was meeting called the office to inquire about his whereabouts.

Around the same time, an office worker at American Energy saw something chilling on television: A local news helicopter, hovering above the scene of a traffic accident, showed footage of a black Tahoe crushed and burning against a bridge, according to a person present in the office that morning.

Those who gathered to look at the footage initially assured themselves that black Tahoes were common in Oklahoma City. But then one observer noticed this vehicle had a device under its rear that enabled it to run on natural gas. At that point, American Energy security called Oklahoma City police, provided the license plate of Mr. McClendon’s sport-utility vehicle and confirmed that the vehicle involved was his.

While some news reports have suggested that Mr. McClendon eluded his security detail before his fateful drive that morning, friends said he liked to move alone, and didn’t travel with security.

“I worked for him for 10 years, and never saw him show up with security,” says Eric Higgins, a geologist who worked for Mr. McClendon both at Chesapeake and American Energy.

Though many have speculated that the indictment may have led Mr. McClendon to suicide, Capt. Balderrama said the resulting stress may have left him vulnerable to a medical emergency, or to fatigue-induced sleep behind the wheel.

“I can’t imagine the pressures he felt,” he said. “Had he slept at all? It’s very possible he suffered a medical event.”

—Bradley Olson contributed to this article.

^^^^^^^^
Oh gee, turns out that the police are now saying exactly what I was saying in this thread all along, all while receiving abuse and derision for my trouble. Nobody is ever going to know for sure - and obviously suicide remains a distinct possibility - but the conclusion-jumping on this topic was pretty icky.

Actually, it's weird they are commenting on this at all, because it's the job of the medical examiner to make the final call. The police merely do their work then turn it over to the ME, who is yet to make a determination.

I suspect the reason the police came out with this is to somewhat counteract their previous very strong implication that it was suicide, which was premature and unprofessional.

All this article is saying is the police interviewed people who knew him and couldn't find any evidence that he was planning to kill himself.

As for hard evidence, they already came out with the information that he drove straight into the bridge and tapped his brakes while doing so. That is completely inconsistent with the theory he fell asleep at the wheel or most any non-suicide theories.

The ME should issue a statement very soon but it's likely they'll just say 'not enough evidence to determine one way or another'.

"Also new is the revelation that he was at AEP before heading that way. Everyone had assumed he left directly from home to head north".

I have some difficulty in comporting this statement with earlier statements that his security team at the house could not locate him or know where he was at.

They've released the autopsy:

http://www.news9.com/story/32174592/autopsy-report-details-aubrey-mcclendon-cause-manner-of-death

That is good for his family.

Well the media is saying it was just a car accident. Case closed I guess.

If it wasn't a spur of the moment suicide, McClendon was extremely unlucky for hitting the one bridge wall out in the middle of nowhere.

As for hard evidence, they already came out with the information that he drove straight into the bridge and tapped his brakes while doing so. That is completely inconsistent with the theory he fell asleep at the wheel or most any non-suicide theories...

I disagree with this. If his foot was anywhere near the brake (almost impossible not for it to be), and the vehicle hit rough terrain while going off the road, it could have caused his foot to have involuntary contact with the pedal, which could be misconstrued as a mindful act when looking at what is surely some very rudimentary data. It could have also been the type of jerk/lurch/jolt that a person experiences on the edge of sleep. Maybe he habitually rode the brakes. Short of cameras being mounted in the footwell and monitoring the driver's face, there is simply no way to be as conclusive as you are representing. Again, I personally remain very open to the idea that it was a suicide, but it's merely a guess, and that is all that anybody can make here.

If it wasn't a spur of the moment suicide, McClendon was extremely unlucky for hitting the one bridge wall out in the middle of nowhere.

Considering he's not the only one, it makes me think there may be some design issues with that bridge?

Agree pretty much with Urbanized, but lean towards suicide, which will never be proven, which is the point if it was suicide. Someone as intelligent and savvy as he was would take every possible precaution to make sure it would never be proven to be suicide.

Don't know how you can begin to explain that he headed straight towards the bridge at high speed and tapped the brakes just before impact.

Calling something an accident isn't the same thing as saying it wasn't a suicide.

I just explained it.

I just explained it.

I'm not saying it was conclusively suicide, just probably was based on the evidence.

The only real possibility is that he fell asleep (they had already ruled out toxicology and a medical problem) and who the heck falls asleep at the wheel at 9AM in the morning?

And exactly at that particular place? And keeps the course completely straight into the abutment?

Way, way too many coincidences and I've gone from the assumption it was an accident to almost certain it was suicide based on all the fact presented since this happened.

However, not all all surprised the ME just went with "accident" as they would have to have more proof to go out on that limb.

I have nearly fallen asleep at the wheel in the morning myself a number of times. It happens to the sleep-deprived, which by all accounts he was, habitually. Add in a few sleepless nights as the indictment closed in and the sleep theory is ABSOLUTELY credible.

There is a big difference between something being not impossible and credible.

It's just a massive amount of coincidences that would have all had to aligned at exactly the right moments and right place.

Then you throw in the timing and everything else that was happening in his life and there is no doubt in my mind he made a conscious choice that was intentionally made to look like an accident.

Dozing at a wheel at 9 am ain't no trick.
It's the not dozing at the wheel, at any time of the day, that can be a trick if one has poor sleep ability.

There is a big difference between something being not impossible and credible.

It's just a massive amount of coincidences that would have all had to aligned at exactly the right moments and right place.

Then you throw in the timing and everything else that was happening in his life and there is no doubt in my mind he made a conscious choice that was intentionally made to look like an accident.


Also there was an eye-witness @ 122nd and Midwest BLVD, which is almost a mile from the bridge where they claim Aubrey blew the stopsign at a high rate of speed. That is some Grade A sleep driving if he was able to not only keep the gas down for that whole stretch, but also stay in the road.

Man, drowsy driving is not nearly as uncommon as you guys are making it out to be. Happens very often in the daytime to the sleep deprived. And it also is very comparable to drunk driving. If he had a blood alcohol level of .10 nobody...NOBODY would be questioning if it was possible that he ran a stop sign, drifted off the road, jabbed at (or bumped against) the brakes, and slammed into the wall. It would be accepted without question. The fact that the cops indicate that drowsy driving is a distinct possibility takes it out of the realm of the fantastical; sorry.

Read up on drowsy driving. Please.

http://sleepcenter.ucla.edu/drowsy-driving
http://drowsydriving.org/about/facts-and-stats/
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/10/29/aa.drowsy.driving.tips/index.html?iref=24hours

^^^^^^^^^^
That last CNN article includes the story of a woman who fell asleep at the wheel of her BMW, in Los Angeles, on the 405 of all places. At 10:30 in the morning.

It is what was going on in the rest of his life that lends credibility to the suicide theory, NOT what was going on in and around his car. Again, I think all of the comments regarding the impossibility of "asleep at the wheel," texting, etc. fairly reek of confirmation bias.

No one has said "impossible" just highly unlikely and also combined with many other coincidences.

And I completely disagree that all of these things that happened once he got behind the wheel somehow make it less likely this was a suicide; I believe the opposite is true.

There is a big difference between something being not impossible and credible.

It's just a massive amount of coincidences that would have all had to aligned at exactly the right moments and right place.

Then you throw in the timing and everything else that was happening in his life and there is no doubt in my mind he made a conscious choice that was intentionally made to look like an accident.

Pretty easy to speculate with someone else's reputation.

Some people wouldn't accept the possibility of suicide if Aubrey's ghost itself manifested and flat out said "I killed myself".

The only real possibility is that he fell asleep (they had already ruled out toxicology and a medical problem) and who the heck falls asleep at the wheel at 9AM in the morning?

When I was younger, stayed up late all the time and drove 20 miles to work every morning around 8:00 or 9:00, I often had trouble staying awake during the drive. It was much worse when I had taken a Benadryl or something similar for allergies the night before... in those situations I found it almost impossible to keep my eyes open at times. Definitely made me change my routine after a few months of that. If AKM had been up late several nights in a row, was abnormally stressed out, and had the first generation antihistamine Doxylamine (the active ingredient in NyQuil) in his system at the time of the crash as the autopsy states, it is very plausible that he completely fell asleep at the wheel at 9:00 in the morning. There are a lot of components to this that appear to be more than a coincidence, but the plausibility of falling asleep at the wheel at 9AM isn't one of them.

Given what I know about AKM and everything I've heard from those closest to him (excluding family) that were around him in the days and even the morning leading up to this, I have a lot of trouble believing it was a suicide. It would've been completely out of character for him in general and everyone I've spoken with has said the same things released in the reports today. He didn't show any signs of wanting to do this or even being depressed, defeated or anything like that leading up to it. It was business as usual (or at least that was how he was acting). Many times when a suicide occurs, friends and family look back and see signs they missed and that just isn't the case here. It could have been a split second decision I guess, but still, the evidence for either case is shaky at best. At the end of the day, who cares one way or the other...it's pretty clear now that we'll never know and the end result was the same unfortunately.

Pretty easy to speculate with someone else's reputation.

He continuously put himself in the spotlight and died under suspicious circumstances.

Of course there is going to be speculation and it's silly to suggest there shouldn't be; he was under federal indictment after all.

There are plenty of things I could talk/speculate about that I have chosen not to. You may recall I've been covering him for longer than virtually anyone else.

Still have not seen the rationalization of why he ducked his security detail.

Some people wouldn't accept the possibility of suicide if Aubrey's ghost itself manifested and flat out said "I killed myself".


And some probably wouldn't let go of the notion if his ghost appeared and said sheesh, it ain't the first time I dozed off in a car, simply the last.

famous folk - they can screw things up just like common folk can.

And some probably wouldn't let go of the notion if his ghost appeared and said sheesh, it ain't the first time I dozed off in a car, simply the last.

famous folk - they can screw things up just like common folk can.

I am going with the fell asleep at the wheel theory til someone proves otherwise.

Some people wouldn't accept the possibility of suicide if Aubrey's ghost itself manifested and flat out said "I killed myself".

And some people are so cynical that all they can see or rationalize is the worst of every situation. I don't understand this insistence that he killed himself. Let it go. He died in a car crash. He was a public and influential figure...I get it. But no one knows for sure how and why. Some THINK they do, but it is still just conjecture and is becoming a morbid obsession. Let him RIP. Let his family deal with the grief and all the repercussions. Let his business partners sort it out. To stand and gawk over the body and gossip about it is just weird.

Some people wouldn't accept the possibility of suicide if Aubrey's ghost itself manifested and flat out said "I killed myself".

Who in here has not accepted the possibility of suicide? You've either misread or are misrepresenting what has been posted.

Who in here has not accepted the possibility of suicide? You're you've either misread or are misrepresenting what has been posted.

^^ This. Absence of any solid evidence, the thing of character for someone to do would be to presume an accident. It's merely a matter of respect for the deceased and the family, and to do otherwise reflects on the person making the assumption more than anything.

Does that mean suicide wasn't possible? Of course not. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt unless presented with strong evidence otherwise.

Does every assume the man who crashed into the same bridge a couple of weeks ago was suicide as well? Or is it only the drooling wantabee detectives when it's someone famous?

I don't understand this insistence that he killed himself.

I see no such insistence. I see people saying it is a possibility, one possibility out of several.

And some people are so cynical that all they can see or rationalize is the worst of every situation. I don't understand this insistence that he killed himself. Let it go. He died in a car crash. He was a public and influential figure...I get it. But no one knows for sure how and why. Some THINK they do, but it is still just conjecture and is becoming a morbid obsession. Let him RIP. Let his family deal with the grief and all the repercussions. Let his business partners sort it out. To stand and gawk over the body and gossip about it is just weird.

Whether he killed himself has lots of implications beyond his reputation and family.

If he had, it says much about the indictment brought against him and that is an interesting case and subject, especially given the significance of O&G in this city and state.

Tom Ward still may be prosecuted over this and there are longer term impacts on that industry.

National reporters have written cover stories about Aubrey and they still continue to cover him and the aftermath of all this. I can assure you -- because I talk with them and have helped on their research -- they are still looking into this and this whole thing will continue to develop for quite a while.

And because of all this, we will continue to talk about it, as we do all things OKC related.

I heard the face value of the life insurance policy was $250MM

And some people are so cynical that all they can see or rationalize is the worst of every situation. I don't understand this insistence that he killed himself. Let it go. He died in a car crash. He was a public and influential figure...I get it. But no one knows for sure how and why. Some THINK they do, but it is still just conjecture and is becoming a morbid obsession. Let him RIP. Let his family deal with the grief and all the repercussions. Let his business partners sort it out. To stand and gawk over the body and gossip about it is just weird.
+1

Whether he killed himself has lots of implications beyond his reputation and family.

If he had, it says much about the indictment brought against him and that is an interesting case and subject, especially given the significance of O&G in this city and state.

Tom Ward still may be prosecuted over this and there are longer term impacts on that industry.

National reporters have written cover stories about Aubrey and they still continue to cover him and the aftermath of all this. I can assure you -- because I talk with them and have helped on their research -- they are still looking into this and this whole thing will continue to develop for quite a while.

And because of all this, we will continue to talk about it, as we do all things OKC related.
Ward will be prosecuted if they think they have enough proof, not whether AM committed suicide.

So many people have an obsession with the rich and powerful but in reality are not affected one iota by them. And people love to see them diminished. Just the way it is. We can rationalize our need to know, but thar doesn't make it true.

We aren't talking about some reality star here... Aubrey had arguably more influence on OKC than anyone in recent memory.

And his loss will continue to have many ramifications. I can tell you that I personally have been affected by him and then his death and I'm sure there are thousands that are in a similar situation.

Most people have no idea how many things he was invested in and the lists shown in the media are nowhere close.

So many people have an obsession with the rich and powerful but in reality are not affected one iota by them.

1: Aubrey McClendon had a huge effect on OKC, one which will long outlive his death, regardless of what form that death took.

2: The people of OKC are not affected one iota by Aubrey McClendon.

Pick one, you don't get both.

I also don't understand why Pete is being attacked/judged so harshly. This is not the first event/person he's been a "drooling wantabee detective" over. I can't speak for the rest of you, but I appreciate the 'detective' work he has done. And I can't say I agree that it's only when someone rich and famous is involved. I can't turn to the Oklahoman for news (they STILL think the whole TEEMCO thing is just going to blow over) and the Lost Ogle is just a joke that stopped being funny long ago.

Also there was an eye-witness @ 122nd and Midwest BLVD, which is almost a mile from the bridge where they claim Aubrey blew the stopsign at a high rate of speed. That is some Grade A sleep driving if he was able to not only keep the gas down for that whole stretch, but also stay in the road.

Exactly. Can anyone who believes he was asleep at the wheel explain this?

^^^^^^^^^^
First of all, not sure I have read any posts from someone who "believes" he was drowsy driving; only some who believe it is one distinct and reasonable possibility. This includes the OCPD, according to their statement.

And if you need an explanation, you can start with the links I posted about drowsy driving, which is very comparable to driving under the influence. Not that you are going to bother reading them, apparently. Drowsy driving isn't the same as being wide awake and then being sound asleep. A person can be fairly awake, then nodding off, then semi-awake, then nodding off, and this can go on for miles.

But don't let science get in the way of your made-up mind.

^^^^^^^^^^
First of all, not sure I have read any posts from someone who "believes" he was drowsy driving; only some who believe it is one distinct and reasonable possibility. This includes the OCPD, according to their statement.

And if you need an explanation, you can start with the links I posted about drowsy driving, which is very comparable to driving under the influence. Not that you are going to bother reading them, apparently. Drowsy driving isn't the same as being wide awake and then being sound asleep. A person can be fairly awake, then nodding off, then semi-awake, then nodding off, and this can go on for miles.

But don't let science get in the way of your made-up mind.

I don't believe OCPD ever said anything about the possibility of drowsy driving. That was Rand Elliott quoted in the WSJ article.

^^^^^^^^^^
First of all, not sure I have read any posts from someone who "believes" he was drowsy driving; only some who believe it is one distinct and reasonable possibility. This includes the OCPD, according to their statement.

And if you need an explanation, you can start with the links I posted about drowsy driving, which is very comparable to driving under the influence. Not that you are going to bother reading them, apparently. Drowsy driving isn't the same as being wide awake and then being sound asleep. A person can be fairly awake, then nodding off, then semi-awake, then nodding off, and this can go on for miles.

But don't let science get in the way of your made-up mind.

wow

He is dead. Can anyone tell me exactly what difference it makes if it was accidental or suicide?

I don't believe OCPD ever said anything about the possibility of drowsy driving. That was Rand Elliott quoted in the WSJ article.

Really? It was in the very article that you yourself quoted in post 428 (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=41915&page=18&p=954744#post954744):


Though many have speculated that the indictment may have led Mr. McClendon to suicide, Capt. Balderrama said the resulting stress may have left him vulnerable to a medical emergency, or to fatigue-induced sleep behind the wheel.

“I can’t imagine the pressures he felt,” he said. “Had he slept at all? It’s very possible he suffered a medical event.”

What is Confirmation Bias? (https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024)

wow

Wow? You asked if anyone could explain how he could have blown a stop sign, kept it in the road, and then later run into a wall. The clear inference being that anyone who thinks such a thing is possible is being unreasonable. And yet only a few posts earlier I had posted links that explained pretty clearly exactly how this type of thing might work. Simple question: did you bother to click the links and read the scientific material contained therein?

I've been a victim of dozing off behind the wheel, and thankfully I recovered in just enough time to prevent a fatal accident from occurring. I was not getting enough hours at my main job, so I got a job in Portland as a fuel facility maintenance technician. Maintained the hydrant fuel system for the airport, basically. We were doing a late night install of a new isolation valve. This was a week long project doing 12 hour shifts 6pm-6am.

The second to last night (morning) I was driving home, on one of the most dangerous roads in Portland, Marine Drive. Don't even remember falling asleep, and it must have been only for a second at most but my head falling down was enough to wake me up and realize I was crossing left of center around a curve with the Columbia River straight ahead and a cement truck barelling down the road. I got lucky, and it scared the crap out of me, even today. And that was nearly a year ago.

The whole event with Aubrey seems unusual, and there are arguments that can definitely go in support of either theory.

I think suicide is entirely possible, and plausible with the evidence. But it's also entirely possible, and plausible that he fell asleep. We'll never know for sure either way, none of us were in the front seat.

Wow? You asked if anyone could explain how he could have blown a stop sign, kept it in the road, and then later run into a wall. The clear inference being that anyone who thinks such a thing is possible is being unreasonable. And yet only a few posts earlier I had posted links that explained pretty clearly exactly how this type of thing might work. Simple question: did you bother to click the links and read the scientific material contained therein?

The "wow" was basically for your snarky tone. And yes, I've read your "explanation" on how he somehow was daydreaming, blowing a stop sign at a high rate of speed almost a mile from the bridge, while keeping the vehicle on the road, and the gas pedal down then continuing to daydream while the vehicle goes off the road, for a short period of time, does not swerve or brake, before hitting the bridge at what, 80-90 mph? I don't buy it. I was seeing if anyone else had a reasonable explanation. I'll take common sense over made up science any day............but that's just me.

Haha now the UCLA School of Medicine is "making up" sleep science. That's rich.

Here's the deal, we might never know, and that might have to be OK, because that might be all we're going to get. It's fine to have opinions - even strong opinions - about what you THINK probably happened. But if you say you know what happened, you're lying to yourself.

At this point, according to police, established science, and yes, even common sense, there are several plausible scenarios:

1. Split-second decision suicide. If it was suicide it seems like it probably wasn't planned, based on his actions outside of this moment. The just-revealed facts that he was in the office, then headed to a meeting at Pop's via a reasonable route also seems to rule out driving out in the country for the purpose of killing himself. If it was suicide it was probably more like an "aw **** it" moment. Certainly may have happened this way though.

2. Drowsy driving and/or medical emergency. The police seem to think this is a reasonable possibility. Established sleep science says that it is plausible. It even could explain the blowing of the stop sign, if that indeed happened. His schedule and the likelihood of recent sleepless nights also make it very plausible.

3. Texting/e-mail/distracted driving. Personally I think this is unlikely if the stop sign story is true. That said, it was mentioned (WSJ article?) that it was a point of pride for him that he could text/e-mail while hauling ass. Dumb if true.

For my money it's probably one of the first two. I'd say I'm somewhere about 50/50 if you made me guess, personally.

I'll just say this: if you are spending a bunch of time trying to discredit science, or to attack and diminish someone else's point of view for daring to keep an open mind - WHEN EVEN THE POLICE ARE CLEARLY ON THE FENCE - it's odd and troubling. I dont get it.

I'm going to try not to spend much more time posting on this topic unless new evidence comes out.

^ #3 should be easy enough to rule out or in, shouldn't it? Timestamps on the phone (if it was recovered in working condition, which it may not've been) and/or interviews with anybody he would've been texting/emailing. Not sure if this would ever be made public, though, don't know how that kind of thing works, but seems like if it was that, OKCPD would've said "He was texting so-and-so and was apparently distracted and hit a wall and died".

We may as well be discussing how to solve cancer. 99.9999999999999999% of the people discussing this are only doing so out of morbid curiosity and not trying to be scientifically correct, or even knowledgeable. Knowledge takes dedicated study while opinion and off the cuff remarks based on limited information apparently takes none and must make some feel smart. Who needs science or facts when you have rumor, innuendo, opinion and bias? Gossip is way more fun than propriety.

We may as well be discussing how to solve cancer. 99.9999999999999999% of the people discussing this are only doing so out of morbid curiosity and not trying to be scientifically correct, or even knowledgeable..

Absurd.

Spare us your self-righteousness.

I don't believe OCPD ever said anything about the possibility of drowsy driving. That was Rand Elliott quoted in the WSJ article.

Pete, when I read the WSJ article that you posted I came to a different conclusion. In the article I believe Capt Balderama speculated that Aubrey was under tremendous stress...might not have been sleeping properly and could have suffered a medical event or fatigue induced sleep driving. Please read the article again and advise if you disagree.

Absurd.

Spare us your self-righteousness.
You are right. Gossip is good.