Protester paralyzed from 20-foot fall after truck rams into Oklahoma crowd, family says

A father of five is now paralyzed after falling off a highway overpass when a truck sped through a Black Lives Matter protest in Oklahoma, according to his family.

Ryan Knight’s brother has spoken out about the incident, calling it “absolutely avoidable.”

The injuries occurred May 31 when protesters marched onto a Tulsa highway, according to KTUL. The protest is one of many that has occurred in Tulsa and nationwide following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery — all black people.

Randy Knight said he and his brother got separated when the truck drove through the marchers, the news station reported.

It’s unclear if “he fell because of others trying to avoid the moving truck or for another reason,” the Tulsa World reported.

“(Ryan’s girlfriend) went just went straight to the ledge and you just heard a blood-curdling scream from her,” the older brother told KTUL. “I didn’t have to look at that point. I knew. When we arrived his first words were, ‘I can’t breathe, I’m suffocating, I can’t breathe.’”

He broke several vertebrae in his neck and lower back from the 20-foot fall, according to a GoFundMe.

The brothers attended the protest “to promote equality and justice for everyone,” Randy Knight told Tulsa World.

“He is a loving and caring young husband and father,” according to the GoFundMe.

Knight was one of several people injured in the crash, according to the Associated Press. An organizer of the protest told the AP the driver intentionally drove through the crowd.

“He put his gun on the dashboard ... and told everyone, ‘You get out of my way,’” the Rev. Eric Gill said.

The incident remains under investigation, the Tulsa World reported. Tulsa police has not commented any further.

“It was absolutely avoidable,” Ryan Knight’s brother told KTUL. “That man has to live with that decision for the rest of his life.”

The GoFundMe eclipsed $31,000 in donations Tuesday afternoon.

This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Protester paralyzed from 20-foot fall after truck rams into Oklahoma crowd, family says."