Loved ones remember OTA worker, Vinita firefighter killed on Will Rogers Turnpike

Loved ones are remembering the life of the man who was hit and killed while working along the Will Rogers Turnpike. Zac Rinehart worked for the Turnpike Authority and was picking up trash on the side of the highway when the Oklahoma Highway Patrol says a distracted driver in a semitruck veered off the road while looking for a device he'd dropped.

Rinehart was a beloved member of the community

"Our community has lost a true servant," said the Vinita Fire Department in a social media post.

Rinehart worked as a volunteer firefighter for the department.

"He always loved the fire department," said Travis Jinkens, Rinehart's former teacher. "That was one of his things that he liked to hang his hat on. That just shows his character of who he was and what he stood for."

Jinkens said Rinehart loved trap shooting and working in the ship when he was an Ag student in Chelsea.

"He spent lots of hours with me in the ag truck," said Jinkens. "He definitely had a servant's heart."

Rinehart also volunteered on a Craig County rescue task force.

Mentorship turned friendship

Jinkens said he and Rinehart had a close friendship after graduation.

"My two older girls, he was like a brother to them," said Jinkens. "Those were hard phone calls."

Jinkens will remember Rinehart encouraging him to step out of his comfort zone, whether it be for volunteering as a firefighter himself or a trip to do some duck hunting. He said this loss will be felt by everyone who knew him.

First responders plan to escort Rinehart home

First responders are planning to take part in a procession from Chelsea to Vinita to escort Rinehart's body home on Wednesday morning.

Emergency personnel expect to arrive in Vinita around 10:45 a.m. The public is invited to line South Wilson Street, or Highway 60/66, to Burckhalter-Highsmith Funeral Home on Flint Street to show support.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help support the family here.