Word has been received of the death of Wayland High School graduate Rick Middleton, 73, in a bizarre traffic crash Thursday, Feb. 1, near Ocala, Fla.

Middleton was riding in his truck in Marion County when it was struck by an SUV stolen from a sheriff’s deputy by Kendra Dalyn Boone, 33. She was speeding away from pursuit by authorities, reportedly driving recklessly.

Boone also died in the crash, as did an unidentified woman passenger in Middleton’s truck.

Middleton’s brother, Russell, 74, was seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

Rick, his girlfriend and the other driver of the stolen vehicle were killed on the scene.  Russ was severely injured, suffering broken bones from his shoulders down to his feet. The immediate concern at the hospital was for a brain aneurysm. They were able to get that under control. Then his body went into a coma state to try to heal.

He is on breathing support.  As of late Tuesday he is close to being able for the doctors to begin operating for repairs. One immediate concern is an ankle, damaged so badly that if not corrected quickly could result in being amputated.

An MRI detected an issue with his back, but they are unsure if it is a disc or spinal column issue without some testing, which can’t be done yet.

Russell and Rick Middleton both attended Wayland High School in the late 1960s.