TULSA, Okla. — A person is dead after a crash with a semi truck on Interstate 44 in midtown Tulsa Tuesday morning.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) said a wrong-way driver of a Dodge Charger going westbound on eastbound I-44 caused the crash around 2 a.m.
The Tulsa Fire Department (TFD) said the semi and the car collided head on. The driver of the Charger died.
The semi caught fire and firefighters put it out.
The semi looked to be destroyed and its driver was taken to a hospital for minor injuries and was released.
The amount of time the driver of the Charger went in the wrong direction or whether that driver was under the influence is under investigation.
“The semi-trailer was carrying, I’m told, bottles of gin, and that fuel began burning under the trailer as well. So, they were on scene for more than four hours. It was a long, extended effort,” said Andy Little, Public Information Officer for Tulsa Fire Department
Eastbound lanes of I-44 near the Yale exit were completely shut down for five hours as crews investigated the crash.
“The semi had lost a lot of diesel fuel and was on fire, so they had to get a lot of water to the scene. they laid a large diameter hose it’s called a five-inch hose across I-44 and we had to shut down the highway to ensure that cars didn’t run into that and limit our water supply,” Little added.
HAZMAT crews cleaned up the diesel fuel to keep it from getting into storm drains. Many questions remain unanswered as OHP investigates the deadly crash.
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