Tulsa World: 9 people killed on turnpike: Cars, trucks crash northeast of Miami

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9 people killed on turnpike: Cars, trucks crash northeast of Miami

Medical helicopters line up on the shoulder of the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Miami, Okla., ready to take injured people to hospitals in Joplin, Mo. Nine people were killed in a series of crashes in the highway's eastbound lanes Friday afternoon. Gary Crow / For the Tulsa World

By Staff and Wire Reports
Published: 6/27/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 6/27/2009 3:36 AM

MIAMI, Okla. — Nine people died Friday when a tractor-trailer slammed into a line of cars stopped by an earlier accident on a northeast Oklahoma turnpike, leaving twisted metal and debris strewn on the highway and stranding miles of traffic in the scorching heat.

Eastbound traffic was stopped about 1 p.m. on the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Miami because of an earlier crash when the big rig slammed into at least three cars, which then crashed into more vehicles, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said.

"It looks like a war zone," he said. "There's mangled metal everywhere. There's debris, fluids, dead bodies."

Brown said the collisions had "quite possibly the largest death toll in a single crash" in state history.

Investigators don't think the truck driver tried to stop before the crash, which left eight adults and one child dead, Brown said. The speed limit on the turnpike is 75 mph.

A criminal investigation was being conducted, as is routine after a fatal accident, and blood was drawn from the truck driver, Brown said. There was no indication that alcohol was involved, he said.

The identities of the deceased were not released pending family notifications, he said.

Several other people were taken from the scene about 10 miles northeast of Miami to St. John's Regional Medical Center and Freeman Health Center in nearby Joplin, Mo., with the most critically injured taken by medical helicopter, OHP Capt. Scott Horton said.

At least

two bodies remained in one crushed car into the evening while wrecker service workers raised a tractor-trailer rig off it, Brown said. Three wreckers — including one that is designed specifically for moving large trucks — worked to move the big rig.

Horton said one vehicle was hauling a load of sheep, but he had no information about the animals' condition.

The turnpike's eastbound lanes were closed from the Afton exit, U.S. 59/69, to the Missouri state line, for several hours, but the westbound lanes remained open.

Three more accidents happened in the eastbound lanes as cars slowed following the tractor-trailer wreck, and later a four-car crash occurred on the westbound side of the turnpike. None of the subsequent accidents involved fatalities.

The wreckage and emergency vehicles covered an estimated three-quarters of a mile of Interstate 44's eastbound lanes, but one lane was reopened about 8 p.m. as workers continued to investigate and clear the wreckage.

At one time traffic was backed up 14 miles.

Stalled traffic baked in 100-degree weather, and area residents and business people carried water to emergency workers and some stranded motorists. Some motorists got out of their vehicles and walked along the highway shoulder while they waited. Emergency officials brought a tanker truck to spray people in the heat.

Troopers with at least 20 years' experience said they couldn't remember any crash with as many fatalities, Brown said.

Tow truck driver Bob Garner of Miami, who has been a tow truck driver for 30 years, said that "this is the worst one I've ever worked."

Brown said the truck driver was taken to an area hospital, as was a 12-year-old girl who was pinned for a time in a wrecked vehicle before emergency workers could free her. He did not know their medical conditions.

Heather Collier, a spokeswoman for Freeman Health Center, said her hospital treated eight patients from the accident, but she said she could not disclose their medical conditions.

Among those involved in the crash was a 12-year-old Tulsa girl who was traveling with her grandparents and a friend to Branson, Mo., to celebrate her 13th birthday on Saturday.

The girl's father, Jason Smith of New Braunfels, Texas, told the Tulsa World by phone that his daughter, her friend and his father were not injured in the crash but that his mother was.

"My mother is still in the hospital. She was unconscious — she had head injuries" — but is doing better, Smith said.

Smith, who declined to identify his relatives by name, said his parents were taken to a Joplin, Mo., hospital by ambulance.

His daughter and her friend were taken to the hospital by a couple from Dallas who were driving behind his father's vehicle.

Smith said his father could see the tractor-trailer approaching in his rear-view mirror but had little time to react.

According to the couple from Dallas, Smith said, if his "father wouldn't have moved as quickly as he did, it would have been worse for them."

Smith said his father described the wreck as "the worst thing he had ever seen."

Smith said the couple from Dallas let his daughter use their cell phone to call him.

"It scared her," he said. "But she was OK."

Smith said he never got to say thank you to the couple from Dallas.

Lynne Duffield of Joplin was driving to Tulsa with her two sons when she came upon the crash scene.

Traffic in the westbound lanes was backed up about four miles at that time and had slowed to a crawl, she told the Tulsa World by phone.

The temperature gauge on her car registered 104 degrees, and "people were bringing coolers full of what I assume was water to the highway patrolmen," Duffield said.

Traci Jones of Ketchum was also driving in the westbound lanes.

"I saw the semi on top of what looked like an SUV," she told the World by phone, adding that a man was holding the hand of the car's passenger.

Cars were on the side of the road, and people were stopping to help, she said.

Jericho Malphrus, 17, was driving on the turnpike with his mother after touring a Bible college in Broken Arrow.

"Mainly what struck me was the amount of debris everywhere," Malphrus said. "There were clothes and snacks and debris. Someone's suitcase had busted open, and a little girl's clothes were everywhere."

His mother, Jodi Malphrus, said the accident happened about 30 car lengths ahead of her and her son.

"It was like somebody had dropped a bomb," she said. "It was horrific."

She said the first vehicle hit by the truck was an SUV, which was so mangled it could barely be identified as a vehicle.

World staff writers Kevin Canfield and Manny Gamallo, World correspondents Brenda Luthy and Sheila Stogsdill, and The Associated Press contributed to this story. By Staff and Wire Reports

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "9 killed in crash on Will Rogers Turnpike near Miami," which was published on 6/26/2009.

	Report Comment Biker Patriot, Broken Arrow (6/26/2009 5:02:38 PM) As a former accident investigator, the truck driver is only at fault 10 to 15 percent of the time. Prayers to the families of all involved.
	Report Comment Biker Patriot, Broken Arrow (6/27/2009 12:05:23 AM) Folks...let's not play this out in a public forum. There are those who have lost loved ones! Folks and reporters discussing details about this for all the world to see is disrespectful for the families involved.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, Austin, TX (6/26/2009 7:13:40 PM) What a horrible headline to see. Condolences to the families and God have mercy on their souls for the dead.
	Report Comment SoCalOkie, San Diego (6/26/2009 11:49:18 PM) What a terrible accident. Condolences to family and friends of the victims. Just awful. It will be interesting to know the circumstances regarding the earlier accident and all that. If an accident is going to shut the road down, it seems like it would be a good idea to station a police car a mile or so back (depending on terrain) to warn approaching traffic. We all know that highway driving gets monotonous and reaction times can get long so early warning is needed. Sympathies to those stuck on the road... got stuck a couple of years ago on the WW T-pike. It was very hot but after an hour or so, we were able to drive the wrong-way to the 28 and get off. For us, it was just uncomfortable and inconvenient. For people with little kids and old folks - that's a bad situation. The T-pike authority needs to make plans for getting cars off the highway in an emergency like this.
	Report Comment texasoke, COLLINSVILLE (6/27/2009 10:32:34 PM) More accident's occur because people have to slow down and look at the first accident. I am sorry for the people that died in this horrible crash. I think that when a wreck happens on the hiway there should be a hiway patroleman or a hiway worker slowing people down before they get close to the car's that are stopped and the cars should pull to the shoulder and put their flasher's on.
	Report Comment okierose, Glenpool (6/26/2009 11:25:24 PM) reeling, (6/26/2009 10:34:18 PM) Some people prefer to drive in the left lane because of the fact that it is usually the smoothest lane to drive in as the the right lane is the roughest because that is where most people drive including the big rig drivers That is a sorry excuse for driving in the left lane. If you are going to drive in the left lane, then drive the speed limit. Otherwise, use the right lane.
	Report Comment Ayo, T-Town (6/26/2009 6:42:14 PM) What a sad couple of days. Sorry for their families. Bullhead, I hope your son is okay.
	Report Comment ajohnb, Jenks (6/26/2009 5:41:13 PM) Yeah limit the speed for trucks and then you have them going 55 or 60 and cars going 75. Illinois tried that and no they are raising the speed limit back up because of the number of people running upon a truck too fast and slmming into the back of it. Maybe if these car drivers would limit themselves to 75 MPH or the legal speed limit and quit texting while they are driving. They could pay attention to the road instead of trying to read the newspaper and text and email while driving. SeriousP, you are very correct. These left lane idiots have no idea of what problems they cause when they are going under the speed limit while driving in the left lane. There is a law in Oklahoma that says, "stay right except to pass".
	Report Comment ajohnb, Jenks (6/27/2009 7:43:21 AM) It is funny to see how people will slam truck drivers when they do not have any understanding of how a truck operates. A survey of motorists several years ago revealed that 78% of auto drivers do not even know why trucks slow down going uphill. PAN, I doubt that they sandwiched you in on purpose. You were probably not paying attention to your driving and ran upon one while another was passing both of you. Thats a big prioblem with any driver today. They are not watching more that 50 feet ahead of themselves and they get caught unprepared. And as far as they wanting to put you in the ditch, that is absurd. That is their livelihood, and I doubt they will jeopardize their job just to disrespect you. Sure there are bad truck drivers like there are bad auto drivers that have road rage, but they are far and few between. Take some responsibilty for your driving actions and quit trying to blame everyone else for your actions. And you notice that a blood sample was taken from the driver. Wonder what the outrage would be if they sampled the drivers of all the other vehicles? After all, there was a wreck of autos before the truck driver came upon them and could not stop.
	Report Comment Popeye, T-Town (6/26/2009 4:07:12 PM) ""...in a grinding six vehicle crash..." That's a headline that will give you the shivers!
	Report Comment Popeye, T-Town (6/26/2009 8:21:20 PM) Even though it'll take time to sort out the causes of this crash, one theme runs through these posts: Cell phones as a potential cause. We all know people, probably including ourselves and families, that are driving and texting or talking or worse. Even if this tragedy was not caused by inattentive driving, there are plenty that are. A 2500+ pound machine is not something to toy around with. Put the phones DOWN!!
	Report Comment destinesia, tulsa time (6/26/2009 10:03:45 PM) My worst nightmare
	Report Comment tao4mind, Enid (6/26/2009 6:52:23 PM) Police want to keep some of the biggest rigs safe so everyone can ride the roads. That's why they checked out tractor trailers in Cheektowaga. With a quick check point focused on a stretch of Walden Ave in town. They randomly pulled over trucks and big rigs and gave them a thorough safety inspection. Here's the scary result. Of 95 vehicles that were pulled over and inspected, 42 were taken out of service and pulled off the road because they were too unsafe to drive. They also arrested two drivers. Seems tractor trailer drivers are fired for refusing to drive unsafe trucks and all those protections that Congress passed to keep our roads safe and handled by the DOL administration judges who denied 98% of all claims for five years running since the laws were passed. Now, with the new appointment of O'bummer, the ATA lobbyist is to head FMCSA. That means bigger trucks, heavier weights, less inspections and more felony drivers. In a decision issued today (June 26, 2009), the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has held that the Federal Maritime Commission does not have authority to require agents licensing on OFF's [Ocean Freight Forwarders] This must be the CHANGES everyone wanted, less inspections, no licensing, and then police can focus on the real criminals without millions to defend themselves or buy political favors. Don't forget to Donate to "Vice President Joe Biden" health care reform spam mail.
	Report Comment Webmeister, Tulsa (6/27/2009 9:00:58 AM) President Bill Clinton increased truck GVW from 72,000 to 80,000 lbs., and added 5' to their length, to aid his Arkansas good-old buddies at Wal-Mart, Tysons, J.B. Hunt Trucking, and P.A.M. Trucking. Bet that added weight did NOT help truck stopping distances........ Nor, did that added weight help our crumbling bridges or pot-holed highways..... My surmise: The Truck Driver fell asleep....
	Report Comment Terree25, Tulsa (6/29/2009 12:54:55 PM) after reading all the posts here, its a sad thing that happened. no one knows yet why this happened.why blame the driver of the truck when the facts arent known yet. As for all the folks that lost a loved one in this tragic wreck, u are in all our prayers.
	Report Comment missy,,,m, no thanks (6/27/2009 11:44:28 PM) so sad my condolences and sympathies to the family.
	Report Comment twilightnan, BA (6/27/2009 9:40:28 AM) God Bless Thinkmarley and all the other victims of this terrible crash. THANK GOD for our OHP troopers and our EMT's and everyone else that responded to this accident. they will take home the memories of the suffering that they saw. Thank you to all the troopers and Emt's that worked in 100 degree heat with layers of clothing and heavy gun belts that can't come off no matter how hot you get. A huge thank you for all the citizens that brought water and helped as they could, you are appreciated more than you know.For every Trooper and EMT that worked for hours side by side to help save lives out there thank you for being the professionals that you are. One Story about 2 idiots has not stopped the partnership you have everyday. I knew all along this would be the case!!!!! May God keep the injured safe and well.
	Report Comment Sarah74104, Tulsa (6/26/2009 4:28:28 PM) Three additional wrecks west of there? What is going on? I wonder if they happened because of the pile up or if they are unrelated. This has been a scary and tragic week! scratch that... scary and tragic year!
	Report Comment Sarah74104, Tulsa (6/26/2009 4:49:00 PM) Bullhead- It's I-44 from Tulsa to Missouri border
	Report Comment Bullhead, Nicut (6/26/2009 4:42:54 PM) I'm not sure I know where the WR Turnpike is...
	Report Comment Bullhead, Nicut (6/26/2009 6:31:58 PM) Thanks, Sarah. My son is somewhere up in Tulsa and I haven't heard from him or my 3 year old grandson yet. I don't think they would be traveling that turnpike though. I hope no one else dies from this. God bless the family.
	Report Comment Bullhead, Nicut (6/27/2009 7:44:50 AM) "horrific" indeed. Just imagine what the trucker is feeling this day over this. Inattentive driving kills which is why defensive driving is a must. This guy must feel like dying himself today. Sometimes looking away for a millisecond will get people killed. My prayers to those injured and for the families of those killed in this horrific wreck.
	Report Comment KCcritic, bonner springs (6/27/2009 4:59:42 PM) As I said in the other thread about this tragedy, did anyone stop to think it could have been the brakes? The 2 things we know for sure are: Nine people lost their lives. The truck was traveling at a speed that was unsafe for traffic conditions. Let's save the convicting comments, there's too much blame going around and not enough information
	Report Comment golfer4life, (6/27/2009 6:15:43 AM) thinkmarley: Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I sincerely hope your young daughter and her friend can somehow manage to put some of this tragedy behind them. Something like this can have a lasting impact.
	Report Comment rockfan, broken arrow (6/27/2009 12:11:09 PM) Very tragic!words can't express the sense of great loss there must be for family and friends.

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