1997 Dodge Stratus son crushed oil pan, ran it out of oil

The protective sensor is the oil pressure gauge or warning light. Never heard of anything else. If it was low on oil, it should have made a lot of rattling noises from the lifters before it spun engine bearings or seized a piston. Try turning the engine by hand. If it's free, you need to diagnose the starter system. If it will not turn by hand, plan on a total rebuild including a crankshaft, camshaft(s), lifters or rocker arms, pistons and rings, etc. It might be less expensive to find a good used engine from the salvage yard.

Caradiodoc